RSSNile residents face long cutoff
Yakima Herald-Republic
E-mail
Print
Comments
More 'Local'
- New concept and new look planned for State Fair Park
- Volunteer judges offer to ease backlog of civil court cases
- Hitchhiker? DNA leads to husband
- Home custody escapee back in jail
- Mabton mayor pushes to hire Selah ex-police chief
- Account to benefit Dale Carpenter
- Sunnyside hires firm to find new manager
NILE VALLEY -- Residents shaken by a massive landslide that rerouted the Naches River and buried part of State Route 410 are now being warned they could face a long period of isolation.
More than 80 residents gathered at Nile Valley Community Church on Friday were told they could be blocked from reaching outside communities for at least 30 days.
"You need to be prepared to be cut off for an extended period of time," said Yakima County Commissioner Mike Leita. "You have already experienced hardship and you may experience even more."
Rain could cause the mountainside to break loose again, officials said, adding that large cracks in the soil are visible just to the west of the slide. That, or rising waters from the Naches River could take out the Nile Road, which now links residents to communities to the east, including Yakima and Naches. Snowfall is typically so heavy to the west on Chinook Pass that the road is almost always shut for the winter.
"I'm not saying that (a cutoff) is going to happen, but we need a plan in case it does," said county Public Service Director Vern Redifer said.
A day before Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to fly over the area, county officials traveled to this small community to learn how residents are dealing with the aftermath of Sunday's landslide and what help they need.
"What do we need to bring up here? What do you need?" Redifer asked.
Residents, many of them recalling the flood of 1996 that cut them off for about two weeks from the outside, reacted calmly.
One resident said she had enough supplies for three months, but wondered how she and her neighbors would get animal feed into the area.
Others asked what financial help would be available if their property is damaged by another slide or flood waters.
Meanwhile, about a mile to the east of the meeting, work crews dumped and compacted fill over a damaged section of the Nile Road, raising it slightly higher than the nearby river that was flowing over it just days ago.
River water rushed through six newly installed culverts beneath the
repaired section of the road and headed toward a swath of pasture land, a barn and a few mobile homes. Overhead, a military helicopter flew past.
Traffic on the road is restricted to one lane and is open only to area residents and work crews.
Department of Transportation officials told residents how they were racing to repair the road, plot another more permanent road to replace the buried stretch of SR 410 and carve a channel to redirect river water.
"We're still dealing with an unstable landslide," Don Whitehouse, regional administrator for the Transportation Department. "We're balancing the risk of the river, we're balancing the risk of the slide."
Houses threatened by another slide or flooding are being red-tagged.
Residents were urged by county Assessor Dave Cook to begin calculating property damage to reduce their tax burden and to take pictures of their property now in case it becomes damaged in the future.
Commissioners said they would try to get some federal aid to the area, and staff is working to compile total damage costs in hopes of obtaining federal assistance.
Other residents have begun moving their belongings from their homes.
David Rose, whose mobile home is surrounded by about a foot of water, has been moving items out and taking them to his Selah home.
"We've got most of our stuff out of there," he said. "I've got about four truckloads left in there," he said.
Clyde Robinson lost two mobile homes that were on his two acres at the base of the slide and said his plans to build a home on the property are ruined.
He had finished adding fill for the construction of a home just three days before the slide forced the river across his land.
"It's looks there are about 10 or 20 of us down there that are going to have to relocate," he said.
* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 509-577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.
What has taken Chrissy so long to FLY OVER the area? Bush flew over Katrina a day after the storm and he's still catching hell for it. Rebuilding the road or getting a temporary fix is the state's responsibility. There is no excuse for any delay as this can be fixed within the existing budget.
Report Violationlol....Lobo, I was thinking the same thing.
I realize this mass is unstable but there should be something, even if it's back roads that need 'upgraded' a bit to keep these people connected.
Yeah, LOL, Lobo! Using Bush's infamously impotent, criminal response to Katrina! Hilarious. Typical. LMAO!
Report ViolationLobo,
Couldn't have said it better myself. She is less than 100 miles away as the crow flies and it took her a week?
Really?
How did she get re-elected? Obviously it wasn't from the second class citizens on this side of the state.
I live above the slide, DOT, other agencies were here quickly. They have been here endlessly, endangering themselves before any one else.
There is a process local county, state, federal. Don Whitehouse was here asap. Gov. could not be brought in without initial assessment, & the locals were busy keeping safety first. Once mt settled down, personnel could get on the ground, monitors are set up on landslide, hillside to monitor further movement (west side of slide is still unstable. Back rds better have good high clearance, 4-wheel, these rds are various agency rds. We can go out SR 410 to Cayuse into town at first, later crews fixed a rd for locals only which hopes to last 3 wks, river bank to be cut right down where no destroyed homes were (takes the process to get that approval), allows riv. to flow natural channel to prevent any further flooding. Rd to be placed as permanent temp. needs ownership approval, there is a process for that, There was absolutely nothing Chrissy could do, or come in for until assessment was there to know what to ask for in funding. I think she was brought at the proper time. Rd way for hunters can be assessed coming to Cayuse and down, not that big of a deal.
Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the
Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but
refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g.,
you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The
Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason.
Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or
stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and
other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to
suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a
comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the
"report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.
Registered User?
