PSU Magazine Spring 1999

Nature is taking the high road, and whatever else is in its path. By Jack Yost • • • Major Roads and Highways 1996 Landslides 14 PSU MAGAZINE SPRING I999 W e've all seen those houses supported by slender-looking poles, perched on steep hillsides. It's not hard to imagine these lofty struc– tures beginning to creak and wobble and then-wi th a horrible rumbling and roar--come crashing down the slope. Besides, all we have to do is watch the evening news. An exclusive deve l– opment on the Oregon coast, The Capes, where former Senator Mark Hatfi eld ha a townhouse, is threaten– ing to collapse into the ocean. In Kelso, Washington, a huge tract of 137 middle-clas homes is slipp ing irrevo– cably downhill, along with the life savings of a lot of ordinary fo lks. In this game, nature pays pec ial heed neither to rich nor poor. Be prepared to see many more slides in the near future, say University experts. Northwest weather alternates wetter and drier periods. After two decades of basking in a lot of sunshine, we're now slogging our way through 20 years of damp, gray gloom. Moreover, popu– lation is booming, increasing pressure to build on stable- looking but precari– ous sites. Our recent "drought," which coin– cided with a surge in building through– out the area, may have lulled people into a fa lse sense of security, says Scott Burns, professor of geology. The storm of February 1996, which dumped eight inches of rain on the area in four days, jerked us back to reality. While flooding grabbed more of the headlines, landslides caused a much economic havoc-and took more lives. Rivers receded rather quickly, but some washed-out roads took months to repair.