The Oso landslide involved a complex sequence of geological and hydrological events that ultimately resulted in a debris-avalanche flow. The Washington Geological Survey, a division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, published a new inventory of known landslides in the western two-thirds of King County today. The Washington Geological Survey, a division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, published a new inventory of known landslides in the western two-thirds of King County today. The Oso landslide in Snohomish County on March 22, 2014, killed 43 people and destroyed 49 homes and other structures when an unstable hill collapsed, sending mud and debris south across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and Highway 530. The 2009 Nile landslide blocked the Naches River and covered State Route 410. A more comprehensive list of significant landslides in Washington is available here. The Washington Department of Transportation routinely budgets $15 million a year for cleanup of landslides on highways. Although there is still much to learn about the Oso landslide, USGS and other scientists have unraveled invaluable scientific information that is shedding light on how and why such landslides happen. Report the problem immediately to your county Emergency Manager. Such a system would enhance the USGS ability to respond to landslide crises such as the Oso Landslide. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Reston, VA 20192 Build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around buildings. Landslide debris blocked the North Fork Stillaguamish River, destroyed about 40 homes and other structures, and buried nearly a mile of State Route 530. The principles at work are familiar to anyone who has ever built a sand castle. It also caused 43 fatalities in the community of Steelhead Haven near Oso, Washington. Today's 5-year-olds will likely live . It also caused 43 fatalities in the community of Steelhead Haven near Oso, Washington. A landslide can easily destroy or bury a car or house. What happens next, explains Washington State Geologist Casey Hanell of the DNR, is predictable and in some cases, preventable. The information on this webpage is also contained in two factsheets: Landslide Hazards in Washington State and What Are Landslides And How Do They Occur? Many of the landslide areas in Washington are a mixture of different slide types. Other areas saw nearly half of the rain they would expect to see for January in one day. The landslides are delineated with polygon and line features as well as given 17 unique attributes, including a movement type, a movement azimuth, and a confidence rating (how certain the geologist is that the feature is a landslide). Transportation officials say all four mountain passes that connect Western Washington with Eastern Washington likely would remain closed until Sunday because of dangerous conditions. The AldercrestBanyon landslide complex was active for nearly a year and eventually destroyed 138 homes. chevron_right Volcanoes. Several fallen trees due to a slide forced a closure on Highway 112 in Clallam County near milepost 15.85. Ground failures that result in landslides occur when gravity overcomes the strength of a slope. Lateral spreads occur on very low-angle slopes toward a free face such as a cliff or embankment. The term landslide can also refer to the deposit that is created by a landslide event. KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Missing Pennsylvania woman found alive after more than 30 years, Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Thieves lose ATM ripped out of Lakewood credit union, Florida pastor accused of selling church for drug money. In northwest Washington, snow fell in Bellingham while roadways flooded throughout Whatcom County. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)continue to supportall of those involved in responding to the event to assess ongoing hazards and identify possible future impacts. Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP If enough water saturates the soil, it will not hold together on a slope. Sagging or taut utility lines; leaning telephone poles, deformed fences, or or tilting of trees on a hillside. Especially when the above conditions occur, an earthquake may trigger landslides. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Over the past five years, scientists have examined a long list of factors which led to the landslide, including soil, water, and climatic conditions. Landslide figures in the "Types of Landslides" section are modified from U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2004-3072 and Cruden, D. M.; Varnes, D. J., 1996, Landslide types and processes, in Turner, A. K.; Schuster, R. L., editors, LandslidesInvestigation and mitigation: National Academy Press; National Research Council Transportation Research Board Special Report 247, p. 36-75. The direct cost of landslide damage includes the repair of roads and property and the loss of life. Southwest Washington experienced its worst flooding in a decade and some rivers crested at more than 18 feet (5.5 meters) late Thursday, the National Weather Service said. It is also referred to as the SR530 Landslide, as named by Snohomish County and Washington State. The region not only has the maximum density of landslides, but the highest exposure due to population. A USGS project to monitor the evolution of the new channel and the volumes of sediment transported by the North Fork Stillaguamish River, Earth and Planetary Science Letters article, Landslide Mobility and Hazards: Implications of the 2014 Oso Disaster, USGS article, Preliminary Interpretation of Pre-2014 Landslide Deposits in the Vicinity of Oso, Washington, Governor Inslees Joint SR 530 Landslide Commission, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Thefollowing is an updated version of a story first published in March of 2015. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. HOQUIAM, Wash. Crews are working to clear a section of State Route 109 in Hoquiam after a landslide Friday morning. Any commuter on the Sounder trains traveling at the base of bluffs along the shore of Puget Sound is all too familiar with these sorts of landslides, which disrupt service on the mud-piled tracks. Now is the time when the risk is accentuated, as abundant rains saturate soils. USGS scientists develop tools and producemaps of areas susceptible to landslides and identify what kinds of conditions will most likely lead to such events. The cause of the recent slide that pushed a Bellevue home off its foundation this week is not yet known. Landslides occur in all 50 states and U.S. territories and on average cause $1-2 billion in damages and more than 25 fatalities each year. Reducing Unwanted Telephone Solicitations and Junk Mail, How to obtain an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication, Apostille and Certificate Authenticity Search, Contact Information and Location - Apostilles, International Student Exchange Agency Program (ISEA), Washington Office of Minority and Womens Business Enterprises (OMWBE), Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Prevent and Detect Business Identity Theft, Washington Attorney General Consumer Protection, Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA), Annual Information Return from Tax-Exempt Org, Legal Actions Taken by the Attorney General. Water is not only heavy, increasing the driving force of a slope, but it pushes soil grains apart, insinuating its way between the tiniest particles. Washington has seen many large and lethal landslides.. An official website of the United States government. Washington is one of the most landslide-prone states in the country, with hundreds to thousands of events each year. This accelerated movement was caused by the liquefaction of the saturated soils underneath the landslide, allowing the moving soil to quickly hydroplane across the river valley. Live video from KING-TV appeared to show crews rescuing a person and working to extinguish a fire just outside the home. Avoid placing fill soil, yard waste or debris on steep slopes, or excavating beneath them. Fences, retaining walls, utility poles or trees tilt or move. If the landslide had behaved in the expected range, it would have likely blocked the river and possibly destroyed some houses, which may have caused casualties. This is because water adds significant weight to the slope as it seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater. Soil creep is the very slow (inches/year), steady, downward movement of soil or rock. Understanding how and why these landslides move help geologists develop mitigation techniques and determine future hazards for roads, houses, infrastructure, and human life. Lahar on Mount St Helens. A huge storm surged south in California on Monday after flooding highways, toppling trees, and causing rock slides and mud flows across northern part of the state over the weekend. Broken or leaking utilities, such as water, septic, or sewer lines. The slide dammed the North Fork Stillaguamish River to a depth of as much as 25 feet, forming a temporary lake 2.5 miles long, which flooded houses and other structures in Steelhead Haven. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance infants, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Spiders contain high-precision GPS units for detecting landslide movement as well as geophones for detecting small vibrations. Creep is indicated by curved tree trunks, bent fences or retaining walls, tilted poles or fences, and small soil ripples or ridges. The Geological Survey inventoried 2,838 landslides throughout King County using new lidar data, raising awareness of a relatively common geologic . New or developing cracks, mounds, or bulges in the ground. Sudden changes in creek water levels, sometimes with increased sediment, especially during or right after large or protracted storm events. Rudraprayag and Tehri Gharwal of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have been the most landslide-affected districts over the last two decades, suggests satellite data captured by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Two creeks in the area are known as Slide Creek and Mud Flow Creek. On Monday, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources issued a landslide advisory around the Puget Sound area and Olympic Peninsula, including Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle. Bulging ground appears at the base of a slope. In northwest Oregon, coastal flooding after heavy rains disrupted communities. Immediately following the event, the USGS installed three rapid-deployment gages and three buoys to measure flow, sediment, and lake levels. The road is closed both directions from MP 3.08 near Elma Hicklan Rd to MP 9.7 near Hurley Waldrip Rd beginning at 12:29 pm on Jan. 6, 2022 until further notice. One key research goal is to identify the primary reasons for the landslide's high mobility. Volcanic eruptions that produce loose ash deposits and debris flows. And part of one of the only other roads crossing the state, State Route 14 on the Washington side of the Columbia River, closed for several hours on Friday because of a fatal crash near Lyle, Finn said. Landslides exist throughout Washington State and can be triggered in many ways. Landslide mobility might have been far less if the landslide material had been slightly denser and/or drier. Over the past year,scientists have acquired new insighton the circumstances surrounding the Oso Landslide. City officials said the roadway is closed at milepost 2. The state,. The interactive map below shows recently reported landslides compiled by the Washington Geological Survey based on reports from media sources and government agencies. Consult a licensed engineering geologist or licensed geotechnical engineer if you would like a site-specific evaluation. The addition of water increases weight and reduces friction. This year, DNR has made a $1.4 million capital budget request and a $1.1 million operating budget request to the Legislature to do further work to better understand landslide hazards and glacial geology across the state. Experts also warned against logging on a plateau above the slope, because of risk of a catastrophic slide. Stay away from the slide area; there may be danger of additional slides. The highway had flooded after heavy rains caused the Skookumchuck River to rise about its northern banks. Original Story -- Release Date:MARCH 16, 2015, One Year Later The Oso Landslide in Washington. Further information on the Geological Surveys work on landslides in Washington can be found at, Aquatic Lands Habitat Restoration Program, South Lake Washington Restoration Project, Scientific and Technical Support to Aquatic Programs, Washington Geologic Survey Publications Catalog, Washington Geologic Survey Photograph Collection, Wetlands of High Conservation Value Map Viewer, Timber Sale Remaining Volume by Purchaser Reports, Spanish - Brocha, Salal y Otros Productos Forestales, Complete: Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan, Community Wildfire Resilience and Preparedness, Utility Wildland Fire Prevention Advisory Committee, Blanchard, Reiter, Walker Valley and Nearby Islands, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee Past Meetings. Sounds of cracking wood, knocking boulders, groaning of the ground, or other unusual sounds, especially if the sound increases. Excess weight, from accumulation of rain or snow, from stockpiling of rock or ore, from waste piles, or from manmade structures, may stress weak slopes to failure. Seek alternative routes. Exceptionally high tides and winds were causing coastal flooding around homes in Birch Bay, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. Another massive slide in 2013 on Whidbey Island sent a 1,000-foot-wide swath off a hillside cliff into the Ledgewood Beach development on the west side of the island. The ground slopes downward in one specific direction and may begin shifting in that direction under your feet. Photo by Tim Walsh, WGS. This cut the river bed back to near its pre-landslide elevation and effectively drained the remaining excess water by the middle of May. Response to the Oso Landslide has involved many federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, as well as the private sector. Security video shows distinct, red van may have been used in multiple break-ins in Seattle, Edmonds, Seven people arrested in Seattle connected to national drug trafficking operation, A look at Day 1 at Emerald City Comic Con. Governors/Officers/Directors/Members/Managers, FAQ - Administration Dissolution/Termination, Election Cost Allocation and Reimbursement. A man trapped in the home's basement was extricated, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Rising water from the nearby Skookumchuck River begins to inundate several streets in the town of Bucoda, Wash., Friday, as area rivers and snow runoff begin to accelerate flooding in the south sound. Landslides and mudflows usually strike without warning. The water may be deeper than it appears. Sunrise Beach Dr. NW in Gig Harbor is closed in the 10210 block due to a landslide. Landslides occur in all 50 states and U.S. territories, and cause $1-2 billion in damages and more than 25 fatalities on average each year. During the second stage of movement, the landslide greatly accelerated, crossed the North Fork Stillaguamish River, and mobilized to form a high-speed debris avalanche. Indirect costs, such as loss of property value and tax revenue, and environmental effects, such as the degradation of water quality, can exceed direct costs. It is important to note that the type or size of landslide is largely irrelevant if you happen to be the one in harm's way. Those grains of sand that stick together making vertical walls with just the right amount of moisture? Osowas emblematic of a worst-case landslide scenario. Washington State University canceled classes Monday and Tuesday to allow students ample time to return to Pullman in Eastern Washington following the severe winter weather, officials said on the university's website. A percentage of the landslides are field-checked and all landslide polygons are reviewed by a licensed geologist. Flows are generally a slurry mixture of water, soil, rock and (or) debris that moves rapidly downslope. Earthflows may have a characteristic 'hourglass' shape. The addition of water can increase pore fluid pressure and separate grains. Official websites use .gov They may contain more coarse material than a mudflow when channelized. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Separation of structures from their foundation; movement of soil away from foundations. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS With the initial disaster response now over, longer-term questions have arisen regarding the stability Digital elevation models of the SR530 Landslide, created using structure from motion photogrammetry. Another USGS study revealed how models can help explain the travel distance and timing of these types of landslides, which, in turn, can help us improve landslide susceptibility maps for such events in the future. Reggie Brown, of Centralia, carries his daughter, Ocean, 4, on his shoulders as he walks through the floodwaters on Highway 507 with his wife, Jonell Brown, on Friday in Centralia, Wash. Imagine trying to slide a large rock along a flat surfaceit's very difficult because of the friction between the rock and the surface. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Your county geologist or county planning department may have specific information on areas vulnerable to landslides. Learn more and join our team! The Chicago Tribune called Lightfoot . hide caption. Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this story. The most in-depth studies from the USGS indicate that slope failure occurred in two stages over the course of about one minute. Using helicopters, the USGS deployed three portable instrument packages called spiders, specifically developed for monitoring active volcanoes and landslides. Mudflow is covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program. also called a debris flow, is a type of fast-moving landslide that follows a . Tilting retaining walls, cracks in foundations and bent trees. Educate yourself about your landslide risk. The 2011 Pearrygin Creek debris flow north of Twisp, Washington spread out when it emerged from a confining canyon. HomePrograms and ServicesGeologyGeologic Hazards. Translational slides usually fail along geologic discontinuities such as faults, joints, bedding surfaces, or the contact between two rock types. The highway is shut down on the east end at Norman Rd and at 28th Ave W on the west side and will remain closed through the morning commute hours on Friday. Flows usually occur in fine-grained material on moderate, water-saturated slopes. A volcanic eruption can rapidly melt snow and ice, causing a deluge of rock, soil, ash, and water that accelerates down the slopes of a volcano, devastating anything in its path. Cracks growing in the ground; downslope movement of rock, soil, or vegetation. Small landslides, such as those that may affect roads during rain events, were not part of this inventory because they are not typically visible in lidar maps. There are many more projects in progress with partners. They move out or down along a planar surface with little tilting, and can travel great distances. Over the past year, scientists have acquired new insight into the circumstances surrounding the Oso slide. Nationally, landslides exceed $2 billion in loss each year and result in an estimated 2550 deaths (1996 estimate). On Oct. 11, 2009, a massive landslide in the Nile Valley of Yakima County demolished a half mile of state Route 410 and redirected the flow of the Naches River. On Friday morning, King County Fire District #2 responded to a landslide that closed off Southwest 175th and Sylvester Road Southwest in Burien. Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition, Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grants, Learn More About Landslides in Washington State. Changes in water well levels or water wells that suddenly run dry. A large landslide occurred in northwest Washington on March 22, 2014, leading to tragic loss of life and destruction of property. This is because the force of gravitywhich acts to move material downhillis usually counteracted by two things: (1) the internal strength of the material, and (2) the friction of the material on the slope. The Landslide Compilation contains landslides from the following sources: (1) Landslides that are mapped within 1:24,000-scale geologic mapping (not statewide) and our statewide 1:100,000-scale geologic map compilation; (2) a miscellaneous compilation of pre-existing landslide data from several sources, including the Washington Geological . Astoria got more than 4 inches (10.1 cm) of rain Thursday, breaking a record for rain on that date set in 1914. Deep-seated landslides can cover large areas and devastate infrastructure and housing developments. Plant ground cover on slopes to stabilize the land, and build retaining walls. PO Box 40220 Union Pacific branch rail line collapse during the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake near Tumwater, Washington. The amount of friction between a deposit of rock or soil and the slope that it rests on plays a large role in when landslides happen. Be aware of your surroundings, Hanell said. FAQ - Do I need to register my out of state business in Washington state? Under the appropriate circumstances, any landslide type can pose a serious hazard to life or property. Landslides are damaging and deadly, and they occur in every U.S. state. This work entailed making approximately 1,400 on-site observations of the landslide surface to reconstruct the displaced geology of the landslide deposit in order for the mobility of the landslide to be deciphered.