Just how prepared are you for what’s predicted to be a cold, wet winter? The city’s hoping to help prepare you for one of the myriad worst possible scenarios: Landslides.
From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 20, you’re invited to attend a landslide awareness meeting at the Northgate Community Center Multipurpose Room, 10510 Fifth Ave. N.E.
The meeting aims to help residents understand how they can better manage their landslide-prone property, including a discussion of the causes of landslides, proper drainage for sloping sites and vegetation maintenance on slopes.
“As the rainy season begins in Seattle, residents and homeowners need to be alert that the chance of having landslides greatly increases,” said Bill Benzer, City of Seattle Landslide Expert. “The soil will be saturated, which reduces slope stability, but certain measures can be taken to help protect yourself and your property from landslides.”
This event and a second landslide awareness meeting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 4 at South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W., are part of the region’s Take Winter by Storm campaign, which urges property owners of landslide-prone sites to:
- Clear drains.
- Check downspouts to make sure they are functioning and routed to a safe location.
- Inspect sloping areas for indications of slope movement (such as cracks in the ground, and newly tilting trees) and erosion.
- Keep fill and yard waste off slopes.
- Shut off the irrigation system and check it out seasonally.
- Leave tree stumps in the ground on slopes.
The presentations will be followed by a Q-and-A session and time for one-on-one discussions with professionals in the field, including from the city of Seattle, the American Society for Civil Engineers, the Association of Engineering Geologists, the International Society of Arboriculture and the Associated Building Contractors.
