Tuesday 15 December 2015

Homes evacuated after landslip in Clark County, Washington State.

Several homes have been evacuated following a landslip at Camas in Clark County, Washington, on Saturday 12 December 2015. Part of the hillside collapsed undermining homes upslope of the affected area, and causing direct damage by impacting at least one property bellow. Residents will not be able to return to their properties until an engineer has determined that the hillslope is safe, which may require work to be undertaken to stabilize the slope.

Landslip at Camas in Clark County, Washington. Tim Gordon/KGW.

The incident happened amid heavy rainfall that has caused flooding across parts of Washington and Oregon States. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. 

The approximate location of the 12 December 2015 Camas landslip. Google Maps.

The flooding may be linked to the El Niño weather system currently affecting the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon that typically brings unseasonably warm weather to the northwest United States, starting around the beginning of December, although this year parts of the US have been suffering floods since the middle of October. The relationship between the two events is difficult to determine; more storms would be expected in the east Pacific late in the year during El Niño periods, but it is not possible to say that any particular storm was directly caused by the weather pattern.
 
  Predicted changes to North American weather patterns during an El Niño event. NWS/NCEP Climate Prediction Center/NOAA.
 
See also...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/homes-evacuated-after-landslide-on.htmlHomes evacuated after landslide on Mercer Island, Washington State.                         Several houses have been evacuated after a landslide on Mercer Island in Washington State on the evening of Tuesday 8 December 2015. One home has...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/three-homes-evacuated-after-landslide.htmlThree homes evacuated after landslide in Des Moines, Washington State.                       Three homes have been evacuated following a landslide close to the Salt Water State Park in Des Moines in King County, Washington State, on Friday 27 March 2015. The event started at about 8.30 am and proceeded...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/homes-evacuated-after-landslide-causes.htmlHomes evacuated after landslide causes flooding in Kent County, Washington.          Six homes have temporarily been evacuated after a landslide partially blocked the Cedar River in Mapple Valley, Kent County, Washington State, at about...

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