HWY 410 Landslide/ Nile Community Update-NOV. 10, 2009
Upcoming Events
There will be a community appreciation night on November 21st. It will be the Nile Communities way of saying thank you to everyone who has helped out during the disaster. Time and location will be announced soon.
The Department of EMS will be having a “Holiday Yard Sale” inside the Glenwood Square Mall hallways on December 11 & 12. Donations of gift items, and arts and crafts, that are to be sold during the event, are being accepted now through December 10 at the EMS office. All proceeds go to their Nile Valley Community Fund.
Veteran’s Day
County Offices will be closed. Tell a Veteran thank you for their service!
NWS Pendleton for 8 Miles SE Cliffdell, WA
There continues to be a large trough of low pressure off the NW coast that will bring in periods of showers through Thursday, as is moves into Oregon. There appears to be a brief break from precipitation Thursday night with a weak ridge. By late Friday, another low pressure system is expected to move into Washington with more high elevation snow and rain for the lower sites.
For Saturday and beyond, the models are indicating a flat ridge with the snow level dropping each day. With the flat ridge, several weather disturbances will move through the ridge with most of the moisture getting wrung out over the Cascades with normal late fall precipitation. Snow levels for Sunday through Tuesday will drop to 4000-4500 feet.
Through Wednesday night - snow levels 3000-3500 feet, precipitation 0.10 to 0.25 inches. Thursday - snow levels 2500-3000 feet, precipitation 0.10 to 0.25. Thursday night through Friday night - snow level 1500-2500, precipitation 0.25 to 0.40 inches
The Naches River near Cliffdell will see declining levels through the next week with flow at about 340 cfs on the 17. Then we will see an increase to about 400 cfs on the 19 and 20.
Cell Tower
This question is being asked again. The cell tower or COW (cell on wheels) is a temporary solution. US Cellular is doing this to assist the community in its hour of need. There is talk of a permanent towers being installed by 2011 or 2012.
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
Since Friday, Nov. 6, Chinook Pass has received more than three feet of snow. More snow is forecast which will only increase the avalanche danger. The SR 410 Chinook Pass closure points are at Morse Creek (five miles east of the summit) and at Crystal Mountain Boulevard (eight miles northwest of the summit). Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort from SR 410 remains open. Additionally, WSDOT and Mount Rainier National Park staff agreed to close SR 123 (Cayuse Pass) for the season. SR 123 is closed within Mount Rainier National Park from the 4,675-foot Cayuse Pass summit at the junction of SR 410 and SR 123 to Steven Canyon Road. WSDOT and contractor crews are still working hard seven days a week, 14 hours a day despite cold, rainy, and sometimes snowy conditions in order to open the SR 410 winter-durable temporary detour to traffic by Thanksgiving. Today, crews are graveling the 4,000 foot section of the detour, which is being built across the valley and away from the river and landslide. Drivers will experience delays associated with this work. On Thursday, Nov. 5, crews finished paving the western two-and-a-half miles of Nile Loop road. Over the weekend our contractor, Selland Construction, finished building a majority of the access trails on the landslide. WSDOT getotech crews will start using the trails today to bring in off-road drill rigs and start drilling into the landslide to collect rock and soil samples. Geotechs will also be installing instruments to monitor movement and water accumulation in the landslide. This information will help us better understand the stability of the landslide and is an important start toward determining the ultimate location for a permanent SR 410.It will take geotechs about three months to finish their drilling operations on the landslide.WSDOT closed Chinook Pass for the season on Sunday, Nov. 8 due to heavy snow and unavoidable avalanche danger. Chinook Pass is closed from Morse Creek (five miles east of the summit) to Crystal Mountain Boulevard (eight miles northwest of the summit). Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort from SR 410 remains open.
Upcoming Events
There will be a community appreciation night on November 21st. It will be the Nile Communities way of saying thank you to everyone who has helped out during the disaster. Time and location will be announced soon.
The Department of EMS will be having a “Holiday Yard Sale” inside the Glenwood Square Mall hallways on December 11 & 12. Donations of gift items, and arts and crafts, that are to be sold during the event, are being accepted now through December 10 at the EMS office. All proceeds go to their Nile Valley Community Fund.
Veteran’s Day
County Offices will be closed. Tell a Veteran thank you for their service!
NWS Pendleton for 8 Miles SE Cliffdell, WA
There continues to be a large trough of low pressure off the NW coast that will bring in periods of showers through Thursday, as is moves into Oregon. There appears to be a brief break from precipitation Thursday night with a weak ridge. By late Friday, another low pressure system is expected to move into Washington with more high elevation snow and rain for the lower sites.
For Saturday and beyond, the models are indicating a flat ridge with the snow level dropping each day. With the flat ridge, several weather disturbances will move through the ridge with most of the moisture getting wrung out over the Cascades with normal late fall precipitation. Snow levels for Sunday through Tuesday will drop to 4000-4500 feet.
Through Wednesday night - snow levels 3000-3500 feet, precipitation 0.10 to 0.25 inches. Thursday - snow levels 2500-3000 feet, precipitation 0.10 to 0.25. Thursday night through Friday night - snow level 1500-2500, precipitation 0.25 to 0.40 inches
The Naches River near Cliffdell will see declining levels through the next week with flow at about 340 cfs on the 17. Then we will see an increase to about 400 cfs on the 19 and 20.
Cell Tower
This question is being asked again. The cell tower or COW (cell on wheels) is a temporary solution. US Cellular is doing this to assist the community in its hour of need. There is talk of a permanent towers being installed by 2011 or 2012.
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
Since Friday, Nov. 6, Chinook Pass has received more than three feet of snow. More snow is forecast which will only increase the avalanche danger. The SR 410 Chinook Pass closure points are at Morse Creek (five miles east of the summit) and at Crystal Mountain Boulevard (eight miles northwest of the summit). Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort from SR 410 remains open. Additionally, WSDOT and Mount Rainier National Park staff agreed to close SR 123 (Cayuse Pass) for the season. SR 123 is closed within Mount Rainier National Park from the 4,675-foot Cayuse Pass summit at the junction of SR 410 and SR 123 to Steven Canyon Road. WSDOT and contractor crews are still working hard seven days a week, 14 hours a day despite cold, rainy, and sometimes snowy conditions in order to open the SR 410 winter-durable temporary detour to traffic by Thanksgiving. Today, crews are graveling the 4,000 foot section of the detour, which is being built across the valley and away from the river and landslide. Drivers will experience delays associated with this work. On Thursday, Nov. 5, crews finished paving the western two-and-a-half miles of Nile Loop road. Over the weekend our contractor, Selland Construction, finished building a majority of the access trails on the landslide. WSDOT getotech crews will start using the trails today to bring in off-road drill rigs and start drilling into the landslide to collect rock and soil samples. Geotechs will also be installing instruments to monitor movement and water accumulation in the landslide. This information will help us better understand the stability of the landslide and is an important start toward determining the ultimate location for a permanent SR 410.It will take geotechs about three months to finish their drilling operations on the landslide.WSDOT closed Chinook Pass for the season on Sunday, Nov. 8 due to heavy snow and unavoidable avalanche danger. Chinook Pass is closed from Morse Creek (five miles east of the summit) to Crystal Mountain Boulevard (eight miles northwest of the summit). Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort from SR 410 remains open.
Gov. Gregoire Asks Federal Officials for More Time
The Washington Governor is asking federal officials for more time to assess damage from the Oct. 11 Nile Valley landslide for a possible federal disaster declaration. The request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a 30-day extension until Dec. 9 is likely to be approved, state officials said. At the same time, Gregoire asked the federal Small Business Administration to declare an economic injury disaster for businesses that have suffered losses as a result of the slide.
Five businesses along State Route 410 suffered substantial economic injury from the slide, which initially closed off access for motorists and residents.
The anticipated disaster declaration would make businesses eligible for low-interest loans to deal with their losses. Both letters went out yesterday, according to a governor's spokeswoman.
Rob Harper, public information officer for the state Emergency Management Division, said the additional time will allow for a better review of the impacts the slide had on public roads and other facilities. "We have to look more at the public sector piece of that and figure out what is going to be the extent of the work," he said.
Cost of such work must reach a threshold of $7.6 million before a request can be made for a federal disaster declaration. The state Emergency Management Division already has concluded that the uninsured loss of nine homes isn't sufficient for the owners to receive federal help.
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
