Landslides Erupt Across Southeastern U.S.

[Howard]

The result of a landslide on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - January 16, 2013.

Within a 9-day period in mid-January 2013, landslides exploded across mountainous regions in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia and Alabama. There were over 50 incidents of mudslides in North Carolina alone.  While heavy rainfall was a contributing factor in these events, reports of shifting Earth in many of these area has been ongoing in recent years.

"The N American continent is bowing under the stress of having Mexico pulled west during the compression in the Pacific, while the top part of the continent remains firmly in place. The southeast of the US is being pulled down as the Atlantic Rift pulls apart. It is being pulled down due to the bowing of the N American continent. It is absolutely in the stretch zone and this is being expressed in many ways."  ZetaTalk

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More Than 50 Mudslides Across North Carolina in mid-January 2013

Mudslide on US 19 North of Ashville, North Carolina

There has been a deluge of landslides over roadways, with nearly 50 slope failures causing problems on state-maintained roads, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"We've had four in Cherokee County, three in Clay County, 23 in Graham County, eight in Haywood, 10 in Jackson, two in Macon, six in Swain and none in Henderson, Polk and Transylvania," said Joel Setzer, district engineer for District 14, which comprises the 10 westernmost counties.

Setzer noted that these are only slides on state-maintained roads. More have occurred on private roads.

Most of the slides have been from smaller embankments that overhang roadways, Setzer said, and so far the failures have not caused any wrecks, according to the newspaper. When the embankments fail, earth and debris slides onto the road.

So far, state transportation crews have been able to clear all of the smaller slides, working through the night in some cases.

One reported slide happened on U.S.19 north of Asheville in Yancey County.

"There is no way to know what might be unstable at the time," said NCDOT Maintenance Engineer Chris Deyton.

Deyton is learning though. In his district which covers both Yancey and Madison Counties, Deyton says there has been more than 25 slides in the past three days (as of Jan 17).

Sources
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/landslide-closes-cherohala...
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2013/jan/17/5/mud-slide-shuts-down-road-n...
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2013/jan/17/5/mud-slide-shuts-down-road-n...

Giant Washout Strands Residents Near Bluff City Tennessee (Jan 19)
Members of the Hickory Tree Volunteer Fire Department began draining flood waters Saturday from a massive sinkhole on Barnette Road in the Chinquapin Road community, just outside of Bluff City, Tenn.

Barnette Road is completely under water for about 150 feet. The sinkhole, which took out part of the road, is roughly 75 feet across.

Fire crews are using a pumper truck and large hoses to pump the water uphill from the road, where the high water has blocked any exit for about 10 residents of the community.

They've really been on an island. It's been unfortunate, but the good news is that today we're able to see the volunteer fire department come out and make a big difference," says State Representative Timothy Hill.

Crews have been pumping out 14-thousand gallons of water per minute to try to get the water cleared out.

Twelve families are on the other side of the water unable to leave.

"They've run ATVs in from the other side to bring them some supplies in. They hadn't been able to get out to go to work and then when the snow hit and it froze, they lost all their power too," says volunteer Bobby Richards.

Resident Bobby Barnett says he's never seen it flood this bad.

"I've lived here all my life- it's the worst I've ever seen it. I've seen it flood before, but this is so much it can't take it. Somethings gonna have to be done about that hole right there," says Barnett.

Sources

http://www.wcyb.com/news/Flooded-road-strands-residents/-/14590844/...
http://www.tricities.com/news/local/article_533a9926-62ad-11e2-a49a...

Landslide Closes Cherohala Skyway Between N.C. and Tennessee (Jan 17)
Add the scenic Cherohala Skyway to the list of roadways closed because of landslides.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the slide this morning occurred on the skyway, also known as N.C. 143, in Graham County, N.C., about a half mile from the Tennessee border.

The slide measures about 150 feet wide and extends 800 to 900 feet down the mountainside, according to North Carolina transportation authorities.

The western end of the roadway, which connects Tellico Plains southeast of Knoxville with Robbinsville, N.C., is closed at the Tennessee-N.C. border.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has posted message boards warning drivers coming from Tennessee that their path is blocked.

In North Carolina, the eastern end of the skyway is closed at Joyce Kilmer Road.

Crews are studying the extent of damage and a repair schedule, according to North Carolina authorities.

Another mudslide has been reported Thursday on Cherohala Skyway (NC-143) in Graham County. It happened about a half-mile from the border with Tennessee.

Officials say the road isn't safe for travel and a detour has been put in place.

Crews will also be monitoring other high-traffic areas like Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge which has experienced numerous slides.

Sources
http://www.9news.com/news/world/310869/347/Nearly-50-mudslides-plag...
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/landslide-closes-cherohala...



Debris from a mudslide blocks Black Camp Road in Haywood County

Mudslide brought down part of a mountain in Maggie Valley Thursday.  It happened on Rich Cove Road near Ghost Town in the Sky.  It's near the location of another mudslide that happened a few years ago.

Sources

http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_h...

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2013/jan/17/5/mud-slide-shuts-down-road-n...



Newfound Gap Road in North Carolina Swept Away by Massive Landslide (Jan 16)
U.S. Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, N.C. will be closed indefinitely since a 200-foot portion of the roadbed washed away at approximately 9:40 a.m.Wednesday, Jan. 16.

An estimated 90,000 cubic yards of asphalt, roadbed, mud and trees fell some 1,000 feet down the side of the mountain. The full extent of the damage is not known, Park officials said.

A gap about as long as a football field now divides U.S. 441, also known as Newfound Gap Road, on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The nearly 50-foot-deep gap, created by a slide swept along by a deluge of rain this week in the Smokies, had consisted of about 90,000 cubic yards of material, according to park spokeswoman Molly Schroer.

The gap is situated near mile marker 22 between Collins Creek and the Webb Overlook, not far from Cherokee, N.C.

The National Park Service said the initial assessment shows about 90,000 cubic yards of soil slid about the length of a football field and is piled 45-50 feet deep.

"We just know it's going to be closed for an extended period of time," said Park Spokesperson Molly Schroer.

Sources

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/newfound-gap-road-swept-aw...
http://theknoxvillejournal.com/landslide-washes-away-u-s-441-in-nc/
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/snow-delaying-assessment-o...
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/249676/2/Football-size-landslide-t...



Rockslide on Alcoa Highway Near Knoxville Tennessee (Jan 15)
For the third time in two years, motorists can expect delays along Alcoa Highway in South Knoxville due to damage caused by a rockslide.

Mark Nagi, Region 1 TDOT spokesman, said the rock slide on Alcoa Highway occurred just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Falling boulders tore through the mesh — protections that had been installed following the last rockslide in March 2012.

This previous slide kept one northbound land shut down for nearly six weeks until crews could complete repairs.

A similar rockslide left the same stretch of roadway blocked in December 2010.

Sources

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/newfound-gap-road-swept-aw...

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/18/rockslide-151-again-151-le...



Hwy 90 in Egan Tennessee Slides Away (Jan 16)
A landslide that happened in one East Tennessee county Wednesday is still causing headaches for drivers in several local communities.

After numerous days of heavy rain, a 125-foot wide landslide, measuring 30 feet deep, occurred on Highway 90 near the Claiborne/Campbell County line in the unincorporated town of Eagan.

TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi said the department suspects the waterway next to the road, which flooded earlier in the week, played a role in the incident.

Ever since the slide, Eagan residents and others who live around the area, have had to take long detours to get to bigger cities in the region.

"It's the main artery that everybody and everything uses to get out of here," she said.

He said TDOT hopes to finish the lane by the end of that day and have the entire project finished in two weeks.

"We have had people [workers] who haven't rested in days," he said.

Sources
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/249719/2/Rockslide-shuts-down-Hwy-...
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/250190/2/Highway-90-landslide-deto...

Fort Payne Alabama Landslide Will Take Months to Repair (Jan 16)

DeKalb County officials said although they did not anticipate a landslide on Fort Payne Gap Road, it did not come as a surprise.

“There’s been an issue there, the road has been settling some for years.  We thought we had made some repairs but this type of failure of this magnitude was not expected,” DeKalb County engineer Ben Luther said.

Crews tried to build up and strengthen the shoulder of the road last year, but Luther said cracks formed and collected recent rainfall which saturated the shoulder.

“It just got so heavy and wet where it just dropped,” he said.

There aren’t any homes on that section of the road, but it is a major throughway for people traveling between Lookout Mountain and the valley portion of Fort Payne.

The shift made it unsafe to drive on, and Luther said snow could add even more weight.

“We don’t have any idea how long it’s going to take [to repair it],” Luther said.

“Four years ago when we had the road on Sylvania Gap do this exact same thing it was over a year by the time we got everything done and the road opened back up,” he said.

“Hopefully this won’t be as bad and won’t take as long but it looks very very similar to what happened on Sylvania Gap.”

http://whnt.com/2013/01/17/fort-payne-landslide-will-take-months-to...

West Virginia Rock Slide Closes Road in Kanawha County (Jan 16)
http://www.wowktv.com/story/20600362/rock-slide

Dillsboro NC Mudslide Takes out Part of Mountain (Jan 16)
http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_m...

Mars Hill NC Mudslide Narrowly Misses Home (Jan 16)
http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_m...

Four Mudslides During Past 2 Years in Richmond Kentucky (Jan 13)
http://richmondregister.com/localnews/x1303518489/Four-mudslides-in...

Wheeling West Virginia's Heritage Trail Plagued by Mudslides Past Several Years (Jan 11)

A powerful mudslide Friday morning forced crews to close the Wheeling Heritage Trail until it's cleaned up.

The slide left a mess, sending mud not only onto the trail itself, but downstream for miles in Big Wheeling Creek.

This is not the first time there's been a mudslide on the trail. Wheeling Public Works Director Rusty Jebbia said crews were cleaning up the slide that happened around Christmas, but this afternoon the Valley had some light rain which made more debris come down.

Crews originally tried to remove the mud and reopen the trail, but after a few hours of work, they got more than what they were expecting.

"We were working on getting the trail opened back up and we did get it back open late morning," Jebbia said. "We went back to hose off the asphalt, then we had a little rain even over lunchtime and then everything came back down on the trail from above."

Jebbia said this is the largest mudslide to date for this section of trail. The mess was visible from Interstate 70 and turned the Big Wheeling Creek brown.

http://www.wtov9.com/news/news/mudslide-blocks-part-wheeling-herita...

[Howard]

Massive Rockslide Closes Tennessee Highway (May 9)

A highway in Carthage will remain blocked for about two weeks after a massive rock slide on Thursday morning.

Carthage Police said rocks started cascading down a hillside burying part of State Route 25/Dixon Springs Highway sometime before 5 a.m.

The boulders stretch all the way across the two lane highway south of Massey Road and goes back 165 feet. Some of them are the size of dump trucks.

Crews estimate 15,000 cubic yards of limestone fell in the slide, which is about 165 feet long.

Sources

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/22203234/massive-rock-slide-shuts...

http://www.wsmv.com/story/22203277/rockslide-smith-county-carthage

[Howard]

Rock Slide Slams Ohio Home, Evacuates Residents (Apr 30)

Tabatha Huddy could only watch as a huge boulder came crashing into her home Tuesday afternoon on State Route 329 outside the Village of Trimble.

Chopper 10 was above the scene as chunks of rock tumbled down the hillside and slammed into the home. It crushed a carport.

Huddy and her family evacuated Tuesday morning when rocks first started falling.

"It kind of sounded like a bomb going off," Huddy said.

Huddy said they'd never had issues with the rocky hillside behind their home until Tuesday.

Officials said the house is likely a total loss. They said the home was knocked about four feet off its foundation.

"It's very depressing," Huddy said. "That's our life. Everything we worked for."

Another home next door was also evacuated.

Officials closed State Route 329 until a state emergency response team can respond to the area Wednesday morning to figure out what's next.

Officials said they're also keeping a close watch on a cell phone tower that's perched on top of the hill. Jacksonville Fire Chief Todd Wisor said this is a unique situation for his department.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "There's no warning signs or anything." He said a cause for the rockslide isn't clear yet, but said recent rain may have played a role.

Source

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/04/30/trimble-rockslide-th...

[Howard]

Mudslide Inundates Florida Homes (May 1)  

A mudslide might be the last thing you expect in Florida, but it’s what came crashing through one woman’s window last night on Sunnyside Drive just off of State Road 50.

A large mudslide in Lake County has put a section of State Road 50 in Clermont at risk and flooded a nearby home with several feet of mud after washing out a huge section of earth.

A river of mud came flowing from the back of the Sunnyside Drive home all the way to the front.

"It’s covered in three to four feet of mud, nine foot ceilings you are standing on top of the mud and your head is rubbing against the ceiling, toilets are covered with mud, it’s a complete loss,” Harvey Rosenberg the property manager said.

The giant hole opened up in an embankment along the highway. FDOT officials estimate a 100 cubic yards of dirt came crashing through the bedroom window covering the bed in mud.

Source

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/con...

[Howard]

Rock Slide Closes Tennessee Highway Indefinitely (Mar 25)
A rock slide this morning at about 6:30 a.m. forced the closure of State Route 16 in Franklin County, Tenn., according to a news release from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The slide at Rowe Gap Road/Keith Springs Mountain is in the same location where TDOT crews are involved in an active $2.4 million rock slide mitigation project, and personnel are determining when the roadway safely can be reopened, the release states.

Sources
http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/rock-slide-shuts-down-highway-in-f...
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/mar/25/rock-slide-closes-st...

[Howard]

Rock Slide Closes Interstate Highway in West Virgina (Mar 21)

As the live video footage of the rock slide shows, drivers on I-77 in Bluefield, West Virginia couldn't help but stop during a rock slide that closed both sides of the interstate highway for days.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation has been busy at work trying to clear the roadway. Crews must first stabilize it before they can make permanent corrections. But it could be closed through the weekend. Concrete barriers are in place in the slow lane of I-77, to hold back debris from the rockslide.

Sources

http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/276146/176/Insane-...

http://www.wvnstv.com/story/21760694/slideshow-interstate-77-rock-s...

[Howard]

Landslide Closes Kentucky Roadway Indefinitely (Mar 12)
About 4 a.m. Tuesday, mud, brush and trees slid of a hillside and into the lanes of Ky. 20 just south of Ky. 8. Highway officials closed the road from Ky. 212 (Terminal Drive) to Ky. 8.

After looking at the road this week, officials determined that excavating the debris from the landslide will likely take several weeks, said Nancy Wood, transportation cabinet spokeswoman.

The closure blocks the way from the Cincinnati/Northern Ketucky International Airport to the Anderson Ferry.

The road will remain closed until further notice, she said.

Source

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130315/NEWS0103/303150091/Muds...

[Howard]

Landslide Closes Road North of  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Mar 7)

A landslide caused a large tree to slide down a hillside and onto a road in the North Side Thursday morning.

Officials said Gershon Street was completely blocked by the 30-foot tree and other debris from the landslide. The tree was also caught up in power lines over the road, which caused some to lose power.

Crews were at the scene working to cut the power and remove the tree. There is no word when the road will reopen.

Source

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/landslide-sends-30-foot-tree-no...

[Howard]

West Virginia Hillside Collapse Forces Residential Evacuations (Jan 31)
LOGAN, WV.  Bonnie Adams is saying goodbye to the place she has called home for a quarter of a century.

“This is something I never ever expected. I've been here 25 years,” Adams said.

Adams has always felt safe and secure in her home, but she's suddenly living life on the edge -- literally.

“It (the rockslide) is about three feet under the foundation of the house,” Ray Perry, Logan’s code enforcement officer, said.

Perry had the tough task of telling Adams and two other families that they have to leave their homes.

“It would be comparable to knocking on the door and telling somebody their house was on fire,” Perry said.

Engineers worry the rest of the hill could go at any time. It could be a day, a week or even a year, but those who live there were asked to leave immediately.

Christine Evans lives two doors down from the slide. After seeing it, she’s worried about her own home.

“It scares me to death that I’m gonna wake up with a house in my bedroom one morning,” Evans said.

As for Adams’ house, Perry says it will have to be demolished.

“I've worked as a cook and I’ve paid my bills and paid for my house. Now, it's all going to be gone,” Adams said.

Perry says more than likely all three homes will have to be demolished.

All three families do have places to stay.

City officials don't believe any of the other homes in the neighborhood are at risk.

For peace of mind though, some neighbors, like Evans, plan to ask the city to check out the remainder of the hillside.

It’s unclear exactly what caused the rockslide, but Perry says the rain earlier this week contributed.

Source

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Rockslide-Forces-Several-Familie...

[jorge namour]

19:11 | February 1, 2013

Fear in the population of the place la Zanja
Strange phenomenon near the Quebrada de Escoipe- SALTA- ARGENTIA
1:50 There were earthquakes, a powder that changes colors and a huge land subsidence.

Neighbors of the site's la Zanja, located amidst the hills surrounding the Quebrada de Escoipe, are very concerned. Since last Tuesday 22 series of natural phenomena disrupted normal life. That day, the night, felt a strong earthquake followed by a buzz. On Wednesday 23, at dawn, they heard a loud explosion, and the next morning blue cloud covered the area. Several complained that dust made ​​them burn the eyes. The next day the cloud color changed to red. The first that came to the site of the explosion came across a huge land subsidence, which came across a huge land subsidence, which ensure having an upper surface to 20 hectares. Although already spent more than a week into the phenomenon, the earth is still shaking and clouds of smoke emanating red, everyone is looking to avoid.

"People are afraid because they do not know if the smoke is toxic or not, or do not know if the earth has to go where they are sinking their crops," he told The Tribune Virginia Rep. Dieguez, who visited the area yesterday. The lawmaker asked the authorities to the area send a technical team to determine what is happening.

Traduced by google

http://www.eltribuno.info/salta/247953-Extrano-fenomeno-cerca-de-la...

PICTURES

Images of land subsidence and landslides in the Quebrada de Escoipe

MAP:
http://www.google.com.ar/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n0...

4.7 2013/02/01 17:21:24 -24.076 -66.906 179.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/295_-25.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_al...

[Howard]

Landslide in Great Smoky Mountains Ongoing (Jan 24)

The January 16 landslide in Newfound Gap NC is still active as of Jan 22 and an assessment team made up of park staff and Federal Highway Administration employees have observed that debris is continuing to fall.

While the National Park Service continues their evaluation of the damage, businesses in Cherokee are patiently awaiting a verdict. Much of Cherokee's winter commerce is reliant on traffic from people commuting from Tennessee to North Carolina. Since the landslide, Cherokee businesses have ultimately seen a drastic drop in visitors.

“At this time we are awaiting word from the National Park Service and the Federal Highways Administration on the plan for repairing the slide area,” said Jason D. Lambert, director, Division of Commerce, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “We do not have any estimates. Once we obtain that information we will immediately work that into our strategies for minimizing the economic impact on Cherokee.”

According to Lambert, the landslide has already taken a toll on the local economy.

Source

http://www.maconnews.com/news/4242-landslide-in-great-smoky-mountai...