Oregon Rains May Cause Downed Trees and Landslides

With heavy rain returning, be alert for landslides across western Oregon

Landslide on Newberry Road in Multnomah County, Oregon, 2010 (FILE/Salem-News.com)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - With flood watches now in effect for most of western Oregon, be alert for landslides.

"As we've seen in the past few days, heavy rain can trigger landslides," says Ali Ryan Hansen, communications director for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI).

"As the rain continues, so does the potential for landslides."

The National Weather Service in Portland issued a flood watch from this afternoon through late Friday night for the Portland metro area, the north and central Oregon Coast and Coast Range, lower Columbia, the Cascade foothills, and the central and south Willamette Valley.

Flood watches are also in effect for many areas of southern and central Oregon and the southern Oregon Coast. Track all Oregon flood watches here: FLOOD ALERTS

"Be aware that flood hazards are accompanied by landslide hazards," says Bill Burns, DOGAMI engineering geologist.

"Be extremely cautious, and avoid areas where landslides are more likely to occur."

DOGAMI's interactive SLIDO map helps identify areas that are susceptible to landslides, Burns says: www.oregongeology.org/slido.

People, structures and roads located below steep slopes in canyons and near the mouths of canyons may be at serious risk. Dangerous places can include:

• Canyon bottoms, stream channels, and areas of rock and soil accumulation at the outlets of canyons.
• Bases of steep hillsides.
• Road cuts or other areas where slopes of hills have been excavated or over-steepened.
• Places where slides or debris flows have occurred in the past.

For more landslide and debris flow information: Debris flow and landslide warnings

Source: Oregon Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries