Magnolia is no stranger to serious landslides. In 1996 several homes along Perkins Lane were destroyed when they slid down the bluff during heavy rains. And during the 2010/2011 landslide season, almost 100 slides were reported in Seattle alone.
As we re-enter the wet months of Seattle, the City of Seattle will hosting landslide awareness meetings Oct. 29 and Nov. 12.
The city?s Take Winter by Storm campaign calculates there are 20,000 homes in Seattle in landslide-prone areas. These courses will introduce homeowners on preventive measures to protect themselves from landslides. At the meetings, residents can consult with public and private landslide experts and learn preventive measures such as:
? Checking downspouts; making sure they are functioning/routed to a safe location
? Inspecting sloping areas for indications of slope movement and erosion
? Keeping fill and yard waste off slopes
? Shutting off the irrigation system and checking it out seasonally
? Leaving tree stumps in the ground on slopes
The first meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Northgate Community Center Multipurpose Room at 10510 Fifth Ave. N.E., across from the Northgate Mall. The next meeting takes place at 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 12 at South Seattle Community College at 6000 16th Ave. S.W.
To view the current conditions of the USGS rainfall threshold for landslides, please visit: http://landslides.usgs.gov/monitoring/seattle/rtd/plot.php.
For more information about Seattle landslides and the City of Seattle free landslide awareness meetings, please visit: www.seattle.gov/dpd/emergency/landslides.