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WOODLAND HILLS, Utah County — Fourteen homes were evacuated Thursday night following a mudslide that damaged one residence. The evacuation order was lifted at midday Friday.
Woodland Hills Mayor Steve Lauritzen announced that Brian McInerney, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service, had inspected the hillside where water and mud came rushing down Thursday night and determined it was safe for residents to return, including the family whose home suffered the most damage.
However, residents were cautioned not to sleep in their basements for the next week or two and to keep a close eye on the weather for future rain.
"Hopefully its not something that happens soon, but it's not out of the question," Lauritzen said.
The mayor said the Woodland Hills area had never experienced a mudslide problem like Thursday's before. But two strong storms that dumped rain on the area Wednesday and Thursday were apparently too much for the soil. On Thursday alone, it rained an estimated 90 minutes on the area above Woodland Hills, he said.
"Eventually that was just enough to get it to all collect at the basin, collect in the ravine, and just come down the mountain," Lauritzen said. "It really is an unusual event. (McInerney) said it was probably a 50-year storm. But what made it so unusual was the fact that it just camped out in that one spot and just stayed there and stayed there."
The way it reacted was like a burn scar. But it's not a burn scar. We have very healthy vegetation through that channel. But just because of the conditions, because of the water, it acted like a burn scar. But unlike a burn scar, he (McInerney) said it's very healthy, the vegetation is very healthy," the mayor said.
More than a foot of mud filled the basement of one house and onto the driveways and yards of five other properties. Fortunately, Lauritzen said there were no signs of structural or foundation damage to the one home that got mud in the basement. Skylake Drive was closed as crews worked to clean up the mud and assess the situation. Some driveways had 6 to 8 inches of mud piled in their driveways Friday.
Annie Langston's house was not damaged, but her home was in the evacuation area. She said she was attending the Utah County Fair Thursday night when the mud came down.
"Next thing I know I was getting a phone call from my neighbor saying, 'Uh, we have a landslide going, or a mudslide.' We have livestock up here and my concern was our livestock, just making sure that they were safe," she said. "Luckily, there's no harm to anybody. That's the main thing."
Langston said she talked with the homeowners of the lone structure that was damaged. Mud broke through their windows and flowed into their basement, she said. The family also has livestock, but the animals were not harmed.
Local fire departments and volunteers from several communities worked through the night using dump trucks and front loaders to clear away enough mud so at least the streets were passable.
"All the emergency response people, fire and rescue, they're doing an awesome job. I was visiting with a few of them and some have only gotten an hour and a half sleep. One has been up straight 24 hours. They are dedicated to make sure everyone is safe," Langston said.
Lauritzen said a community cleanup for all the properties affected is scheduled for Saturday. Volunteers are asked to meet in the area at 8 a.m.
If a strong storm cell should develop over the next week or two, the mayor said the city will get about a 20-minute warning from the National Weather Service. But, he said the state hydrologist believes the likelihood of another mudslide is only about 2 percent.
Contributing: Peter Samore, Sam Penrod
