|
 More than 70 people living at the base of a hill were told to
leave on Wednesday night, and a nearby Walgreens store ordered shut
on Thursday, as the landslide inched down, shifting soil and other
material 50 ft below ground, said Roxanne Robinson, the town's
assistant manager.
The landslide has broken a water main and cracked retaining walls
but no buildings have been severely damaged.
Yet worries about their structural integrity mounted on Thursday, as
geologists reported the movement was accelerating and could indicate
a collapse of the hillside, she said.
"We have not had any kind of catastrophic movement, but it is
definitely a cause for concern. It's creeping now but it could slide
all at once, and the disaster in Washington state shows us we have
to be ready," Robinson said.
The death toll from the March 22 collapse of a rain-soaked hillside
in a rural Washington state community had risen to 36 by Wednesday.
Several Jackson residents have refused to leave the affected
neighborhood even though fissures have opened in the only road that
provides access to dozens of houses and apartments about a mile from
downtown Jackson, Robinson said.
Fractures first appeared last week when a city pump house next to
the Walgreens shifted and a water main ruptured.
A landslide specialist was flown in on Thursday to determine what
actions might be taken to stabilize the area, Robinson said.
City officials were not aware of any other landslides in Jackson,
best known as an international ski destination and for vacation
homes owned by celebrities such as actress Sandra Bullock.
[to top of second column] |
Tom Drean, Wyoming state geologist, said the vast majority of
landslides occur in remote parts of the sparsely populated state and
do not threaten people or property.
He said the creep documented in Jackson was probably the result of
moisture from snow melt or rain seeping into rock formations, where
it expands and contracts in repeated freeze-thaw cycles and weakens
entire geologic structures.
"There are many different types of landslides but the kind people
are most familiar with are very fast-moving," Drean said. "When you
know you have creep, you also know you have the possibility of
something slipping much faster. It's a bit unpredictable."
(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Clarence Fernandez)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
