The Yakima City Council will consider an emergency declaration during its next regular business meeting at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16th in Council Chambers at Yakima City Hall, 129 North 2nd Street.
The declaration is related to the impending landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge, near Union Gap and approximately three miles south of the City of Yakima. Cracks have been found on the ridge and a 20-acre section is moving south at about 1.6 feet per week.
Yakima County and the City of Union Gap have both declared emergencies due to the landslide. Many homes in the Thorp Road area have been evacuated.
“In a worst-case scenario, the Yakima River could back up and the City of Union Gap could be inundated,” said Yakima Fire Chief Bob Stewart. “The City of Yakima’s emergency declaration is in support of Union Gap and the efforts of Yakima County.”
The Yakima Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical response services to the City of Union Gap through a partnership agreement.
“We have a response plan in place,” Stewart said.
The declaration could also make the City of Yakima eligible for disaster relief. However, Stewart said that would only be the case in the unlikely event of tremendous property damage.
According to the latest estimates, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Washington Geological Survey anticipates a “failure event” could happen by early March. State officials anticipate the landslide will most likely be to the south, towards a former mining operation.
DNR has provided a 4-page fact sheet about the landslide with further details and updates. Click http://bit.ly/2ATrMF2 for the English-language version and http://bit.ly/2EwnR35 for the Spanish-language version.
The Yakima City Council business meeting will be aired live at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16th on Y-PAC, Charter Cable channel 194 and streamed live on the City of Yakima website – http://www.yakimawa.gov/.
Yakima City Council to Consider Emergency Declaration – News Release