‘Pure destruction’ of OR 229 landslide displaces residents as officials assess damage

Portland, Ore. (coins) — Residents displaced by large landslides and subsequently the community is in recovery mode Many homes are affected Friday morning.

The landslide occurred on OR 229, near milepost 14, at the midpoint between the towns of Siletz and Kernville.

“There’s a huge chunk of that mountain gone,” said Oregon Department of Transportation spokeswoman Mindy McCart. “This is one of the biggest slides ODOT has ever seen, probably in our history.”

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McCart told KOIN 6 News Saturday that the road is still tightly closed and the cleanup process has not yet begun. However, transport officials are holding a meeting on Monday to make a plan to move forward.

There is no firm estimate yet on when the road will reopen, though officials said Friday it could take months or even longer.

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Debris, including fallen trees and structures from the landslide, fell into the Siletz River. Downstream, a neighbor told KOIN 6 News Friday night that she saw propane tanks from refrigerators floating in the river.

“It’s pure devastation,” said Jenny Nelson, who lives in Lincoln County. “I think it’s going to be a long road to recovery there.”

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Two have received temporary shelter from the Red Cross. A total of five houses were affected, three of which sustained major damage. All residents in the house have been evacuated safely.

Officials said no one was injured and everyone is being accounted for.

Geologists say landslides can be prevented

Scott Burns, a geology professor at Portland State University, told KOIN 6 News the landslide was preventable and cost the state a lot.

“Our highway department has evaluated all the slopes in Oregon, which are high priority,” he said. “So when the money is available, they spend the money on the highest priority they’ve got. It’s a high priority. But it wasn’t at the top of the list. And so it didn’t get any attention. It’s a road less traveled. So it’s a little bit of a low priority.”

Burns suggested building walls around highways and planting trees in the area to prevent these landslides. He said that the surrounding area is at risk due to the landslide and the process of collapse is continuing.

Periods of heavy rainfall, like the atmospheric river experienced in the Pacific Northwest, typically cause more landslides, Burns said.

“If you live in the Coast Range, you’re going to get landslides, period,” Burns said. “Western Oregon, western Washington, when we get these atmospheric rivers, all the highway departments, all the geology departments, all the organizations, know that’s when landslides are happening.”

ODOT said the landslide came from land owned by the Weyerhaeuser company. On Friday, the company told KOIN 6 News in a statement that they are working with ODOT and local law enforcement agencies to safely evacuate their employees and assess the damage.

Transportation officials asked to avoid OR 229 and travel on US 101 instead.

ODOT has TripCheck More information About road closures and available routes.

KOIN 6 has reached out to the local school district to see if bus routes will be changed or if alternative learning will be available for students closed due to the landslide. This story will be updated if we hear back.

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