HWY 410 Landslide/ Nile Community Update-NOV. 6, 2009

HWY 410 Landslide/ Nile Community Update-NOV. 6, 2009
Naches, WASH-NOV. 6, 2009

Department of EMS Starts Fund
Local elected officials and others are working hard to find additional funding sources for the Nile residents and gain access to support that they so desperately need. The staff of the Department of EMS is hoping to provide some immediate assistance. An account has been established and is located at the Yakima Valley Credit Union entitled the “Nile Landslide Fund”. Monetary donations to the Nile Landslide Fund will be managed by the Assistant Fire Chief Steve Smith.

In addition, the Department of EMS will be having a “Holiday Yard Sale” inside the Glenwood Square Mall hallways on December 11th & 12th. Donations of gift items, and arts and crafts, that are to be sold during the event, are being accepted now through December 10th at the EMS office.

Briefing for the W.V. O. A. D.
Steve Nevens and K.R. Catlin provided a briefing on the needs of the citizens of the Nile Valley to the Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster by tele-conference on Wednesday the 4th. The physical meeting of the organization was taking place in western Washington. The tele-conference provided an opportunity to bring in possible private resources from the west side of the state.

Cliffdell River Gauge
At 8 AM this morning the gauge for the river was reading 490 cfs. This is well below what was predicted yesterday. To ensure there is no confusion on what the “More Durable Road” and the “Temporary Road” can withstand, the following is what was discussed at last night’s community meeting.

The “Temporary Road” which is the current SR 410 detour would become a concern at river levels of 1,700 cfs. The “More Durable Road”, which is under construction at the edge of the valley, will be the future SR 410 detour, is being built to meet the 100 year flood

Cell Tower

This is a reminder that the US Cellular tower is temporary. US Cellular is providing this service to assist the community in a time of need. A big "Thank You" goes out to them! Long range plans for permanent towers could be acted upon by 2011 or 2012.

Follow-up on Activity Behind the Barricade
An emergency order from the Washington Department of Natural Resources says any excavation at the Simmons and Son gravel pit could set off another landslide and poses "an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare or the environment." The Federal Mine, Safety & Health Administration also issued a similar order, prohibiting anyone from entering the mine site. According to the DNR order, the owners of the site had started clearing away debris from the toe of the landslide in preparation to begin mining again.

Homeless
Anyone who declares to be homeless as a result of the landslide can go to the one-stop Housing Resource Center at 107 South 6th Street for assistance. We are prepared to identify Nile residents as a priority as long as we have resources.

WSDOT Update
Conditions: Chinook Pass-Restrictions Eastbound: Compact snow and ice.Traction tires required, chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight. Oversize vehicles prohibited. Restrictions westbound: Traction tires required, chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight. Oversize vehicles prohibited.

The current SR 410 emergency access route on Nile Loop Road is open to all drivers. The route detours around the closed four-mile section of SR 410 between mileposts 104 and 108. Drivers will encounter delays associated with construction this week in several locations. Crews have started paving a two-and-a-half mile section of the west end of the SR 410 detour on Nile Loop Road. Information updates are available at 509-577-1635 or 5-1-1.

On Thursday, Nov. 5 WSDOT and contractor crews started building rough access trails to access the landslide that demolished SR 410 with millions of cubic yards of debris three weeks ago. These trails will allow geotechnical experts to bring in off-road drill rigs. Geotechs anticipate moving the drill rigs onto the slide early next week to collect rock and soil samples and to install instruments to monitor movement and water accumulation in the landslide. This information will help them better understand the stability of the landslide and is an important start toward determining the ultimate location for a permanent SR 410. Contractor crews finished paving and striping the western two-and-a-half miles of Nile Loop Road. Crews are still working seven days a week, 14 hours a day to build a 4,000 foot section of the detour across the valley and away from the river and landslide. WSDOT's contractor, Selland Construction, Inc., is using 21 pieces of heavy equipment and 12 dump trucks as they work to complete the winter-durable temporary detour by Thanksgiving. Drivers using the detour route may experience delays associated with construction activities.


Informational Websites that are potentially pertinent to you: There is a lot of information out there. Please take a look and see if any applies to you.
(NEW) Yakima County Public Services Flood Control Zone District Flood Preparedness Information
http://www.yakimacounty.us/SurfaceWater/FloodPreparedness.htm
WSDOT Website with road and slide information
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2009/10/23-WSDOT+begins+building+SR+410+detour.htm

Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management Blog KR Catlin is updating this daily
http://www.yak-oem.blogspot.com/

NOAA National Weather Forecast for 8 miles east of Cliffdell.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.86394700508323&lon=-120.95947265625&site=pdt&smap=1&marine=1&unit=0&lg=en

NOAA (Weather Service) river gauge at Cliffdell
http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?CLFW1
WA State Emergency Management Personal, Family, and Pet Preparedness Information http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_personal_preparedness.shtml