Massive Landslide Threatens Community North of Seattle

Whidbey Island near Seattle, Washington is in need of new maps after a massive landslide.

The landslide pushed at least 200,000 cubic yards of ground down the west side of the island in the Puget Sound 50 miles north of Seattle. The slide struck around 4 a.m. Wednesday and has destroyed one home and will likely require four others to be demolished.

A major road was destroyed in the slide requiring a temporary gravel replacement that is allowing residents to reach another 18 isolated houses to evacuate their possessions.

The amount of earth moves could fill entire football stadiums and one report says that the beach rose about 30 feet from its previous level along the shoreline. The front of the slide extends 300 feet into Puget Sound and is more than 1,000 feet long.

Geologists have been unable to determine a cause for the massive size of the slide.

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