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Sliding Portland house draws stabilizing effort
Saturday, October 11, 2008 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND (AP) — City and private engineers are considering ways to shore up a steep hillside where a house slid off its foundation this week.
The city was trying to meet with all the homeowners of the seven properties affected by the landslide on Wednesday.
The house tumbled down about 100 yards, ultimately crashing into two homes lower on the hillside. Neighbors rescued the homeowner, and the occupants of other damaged houses escaped without injury.
City workers plan to encourage homeowners to take temporary measures, such as laying plastic sheeting to block rain, so that conditions don’t get worse.
But engineers say moving large amounts of earth can destabilize the surrounding area.
“The focus right now is to make sure we stabilize the conditions as they are,” said Doug Morgan, supervising engineer for the city’s Bureau of Development Services.
After inspecting the neighboring properties, city workers determined that four homes — including the house that went downhill — were unsafe to enter. Another two were issued “yellow tags,” limiting access.
Water is generally considered a key precursor to landslides. But since rains in the area haven’t been heavy recently, geologists speculated that a leaking water line or sprinkler system might have loosened the hillside.
The Portland Water Bureau said its check of the main water line did not find any leaks, and the homeowner’s most recent water reading, on July 31, did not show a big jump in use.
A state geologist, Bill Burns said the house’s history and location may be factors.
He said it was built “smack dab in the middle” of a drainage area that had been filled before the home was built in 1930.
“Unless you do significant underground drainage systems, which were not likely done 40 or 50 years ago, water will still want to go down into that drainage,” he said.
Adjacent homes on the sides of the drainage area aren’t considered so vulnerable, but neighbors worried nevertheless.
Gail Planck, who has lived in the neighborhood for 24 years, said she believes her home about 12 houses away from the slide is on stable ground, but the news of what happened weighed on her mind.
“I imagine everyone around here had trouble sleeping last night,” she said.
The city was trying to meet with all the homeowners of the seven properties affected by the landslide on Wednesday.
The house tumbled down about 100 yards, ultimately crashing into two homes lower on the hillside. Neighbors rescued the homeowner, and the occupants of other damaged houses escaped without injury.
City workers plan to encourage homeowners to take temporary measures, such as laying plastic sheeting to block rain, so that conditions don’t get worse.
But engineers say moving large amounts of earth can destabilize the surrounding area.
“The focus right now is to make sure we stabilize the conditions as they are,” said Doug Morgan, supervising engineer for the city’s Bureau of Development Services.
After inspecting the neighboring properties, city workers determined that four homes — including the house that went downhill — were unsafe to enter. Another two were issued “yellow tags,” limiting access.
Water is generally considered a key precursor to landslides. But since rains in the area haven’t been heavy recently, geologists speculated that a leaking water line or sprinkler system might have loosened the hillside.
The Portland Water Bureau said its check of the main water line did not find any leaks, and the homeowner’s most recent water reading, on July 31, did not show a big jump in use.
A state geologist, Bill Burns said the house’s history and location may be factors.
He said it was built “smack dab in the middle” of a drainage area that had been filled before the home was built in 1930.
“Unless you do significant underground drainage systems, which were not likely done 40 or 50 years ago, water will still want to go down into that drainage,” he said.
Adjacent homes on the sides of the drainage area aren’t considered so vulnerable, but neighbors worried nevertheless.
Gail Planck, who has lived in the neighborhood for 24 years, said she believes her home about 12 houses away from the slide is on stable ground, but the news of what happened weighed on her mind.
“I imagine everyone around here had trouble sleeping last night,” she said.
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