Wyoming Landslide about to Bury Homes, Business in Jackson

LANDSLIDE HAZARD
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Landslide in Jackson accelerating

A slow-moving landslide in Jackson, Wyoming has started accelerating, threatening apartment blocks, homes and businesses.

“A couple of days ago the movement had increased to roughly four to six inches per day, and yesterday we had movements in the order of a foot, and that’s throughout the slide,” said a landslide expert George Machan, reported WPM.

Consequently, town officials abandoned a plan to erect an emergency buttress designed to slow down the slide. They decided it was unsafe to work beneath a cut slope, and pulled workers off the job, said the report.

“George Machan of Landslide Technologies noticed a formation in the landslide called a ‘graben’ and this formation is dropping down and pushing out the lower portion of the landslide. This is occurring on the western edge of the high risk area. Aerial photos provided by Tributary Environmental allowed this particular feature to be identified. The acceleration in the slide has been doubling since approximately April 1st with significant movement in the last 24 hours. Significant movement has occurred on the hillside with increased depth and width to all cracks delineating the slide. The eastern crack has dropped 10-15 feet down the mountain and is quite visible from the street,” according to the town’s website..

“Already, the slide has destroyed a newly built town pumphouse, although crews salvaged what technical equipment they could. Lower Valley Energy has shut off gas to the western side of the hillside neighborhood as a safety precaution.”

“The acceleration in the slide has been doubling since approximately April 1st, with significant movement in the last 24 hours,” according to information posted on town’s website.

Credit: Jackson Town’s Website. Updates, photos and a live video feed of the affected area are posted at  townofjackson.com.

“The sewer line to Budge Drive ruptured today and Town crews worked to cap off the line to avoid any health and safety concerns. Tomorrow crews will begin to construct a workaround to avoid disruption of sewer service to the Budge neighborhood. Because there are a few residents that have chosen to remain in the evacuation advisory area, sewer service is still important,” according to the town’s website.

Hundreds of residents in two apartment buildings and several homes near the base of the Budge Drive Slide are under an evacuation orders.

The evacuation order also covers multiple commercial units.

“Evacuations from residences and several businesses below the crumbling hillside may continue for weeks as Jackson crews and utility companies work to prevent ruptures to gas and power lines and a city water main.” Reuters reported.