Rattlesnake Ridge Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Still Sliding, Just Not So Fast: What’s Up With The Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide One Year Later

By Esmy Jimenez January 21, 2019

Rattlesnake Ridge Risk Map - Google Maps

At this time last year, authorities in Central Washington were on high alert because of the slow-moving Rattlesnake Ridge landslide near Yakima. A year later, what’s changed? The landslide isn’t quite over – yet. But it has slowed down significantly. Read More

Yakima County Closes Road Near Rattlesnake Ridge Indefinitely

By Esmy Jimenez March 7, 2018

Yakima County Commissioners voted this week to officially close a road at the base of the slow-moving Rattlesnake Ridge landslide in Union Gap.Read More

For Displaced Rattlesnake Ridge Residents, Emergency Goes On As They’re Told To Return Home

By Esmy Jimenez February 8, 2018

Antonio Martinez and his son, Ramon Mendoza

The emergency is over for now at Rattlesnake Ridge near Yakima. The state says a major, sudden landslide is no longer imminent, and Yakima County has lifted its evacuation order and told residents they can move back home. But that’s easier said than done. Read More

Nervous Drivers Still ‘Shooting The Gap’ At Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide

By Anna King February 6, 2018

The emergency seems to be over for now at the slow-moving landslide at Rattlesnake Ridge near Yakima. The state has taken down warning signs on the highway below. But for some, the drive is still nerve wracking. They’ve coined a phrase for driving quickly past the slide: “Shooting the Gap.”Read More

UPDATE: Residents Near Rattlesnake Ridge Can Return Home; Threat Level Downgraded

By Anna King January 31, 2018

The landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge near Yakima is likely going to be a slow one—it could take years or decades to fully come down. Now, residents can return. That’s the upshot of a new independent geology report commissioned by the state.Read More

Landslide Experts Walk Back Time Estimate For Rattlesnake Ridge Slide

By Tom Banse January 29, 2018

Geology experts with Washington's Department of Natural Resource have quit making predictions for when a slow-moving landslide might break loose. About 20 acres of the hillside are in motion near Union Gap, just south of Yakima.Read More

Residents Displaced By Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Confront Yakima’s Tight Housing Market

By Esmy Jimenez January 26, 2018

Solorio family displaced by Rattlesnake Ridge - Anna King Photo

The slow-moving landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge in Washington's Yakima Valley points to a larger problem plaguing the region: affordable housing. When residents were told to move away from their homes in the slide area, there were few places to go.Read More

Yakama Nation Has A Lot Riding On The Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide

By Anna King January 24, 2018

The Yakama Nation is asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency for the Rattlesnake Ridge landslide. It’s a steep slope outside of Yakima that is moving slowly and clings above a small community, a railroad corridor, Interstate 82 and the Yakima River.Read More

Washington DNR Wants More Time To Decide On Logging Unstable Slopes

By Eilís O'Neill January 22, 2018

In the wake of the Oso landslide and the current situation unfolding at Rattlesnake Ridge near Yakima, Washington state public lands commissioner Hilary Franz is asking the Legislature for more time to review proposals from timber companies to log potentially unstable slopes.Read More

When Will Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Near Yakima ‘Go’? Geologists Say It’s Hard To Predict

By Anna King January 19, 2018

After huge cracks appeared on Rattlesnake Ridge last year, geologists expect a landslide is coming at the mountain near Yakima. But they're having a hard time nailing down just when it will go.Read More

Yakima County Braces For Landslide, Prepares Emergency Notifications

By Esmy Jimenez January 17, 2018

The Rattlesnake Ridge landslide in Central Washington is moving at 1.6 feet per week. The area south of Yakima is on private land and next to Anderson Quarry where Columbia Asphalt operates. If it continues on its expected path, the slide threatens Interstate 82, a mobile home park, and possibly the Yakima River.Read More

Latest Rattlesnake Ridge News

By Kanale Rhoden January 15, 2018

Rattlesnake Ridge in Union Gap south of Yakima, Washington

Latest Rattlesnake Ridge News Residents Displaced By Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Confront Yakima’s Tight Housing Market Esmy Jimenez January 26, 2018 The slow-moving landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge in Washington’s Yakima Valley […]Read More

Residents Near Rattlesnake Ridge Still On High Alert Of Possible Landslide

By NWPB News January 9, 2018

Crews arrange large containers along Thorpe Road near Rattlesnake Ridge south of Union Gap, Wash., Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018. The containers will be filled with concrete barriers in an effort to keep rocks and other debris from falling onto Interstate 82. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic/via AP)Crews arrange large containers along Thorpe Road near Rattlesnake Ridge south of Union Gap, Wash., Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018. The containers will be filled with concrete barriers in an effort to keep rocks and other debris from falling onto Interstate 82. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic/via AP)

Residents below Rattlesnake Ridge outside Union Gap are considering their next move if a slow-moving hillside in Yakima County collapses during the next several weeks.Read More

Feds Prep For Yakima River ‘Worst Case Scenario’ At Rattlesnake Ridge

By Anna King January 5, 2018

Emergency meetings are underway to discuss the threat of a possible landslide near Yakima. Dozens of federal, state, county and tribal officials are trying to work out a plan as this threat looms.Read More

Residents Weigh Options, Officials Scramble To Prep For Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide

By Anna King January 4, 2018

There are about 50 residents in 15 houses and trailer homes on a crescent of land wedged in a depression between Interstate 82 and the hillside that’s cracking near them. According to measurements taken since October by the state and its consultant, the land above this community and Interstate 82 is starting to move more rapidly.Read More

Landslide Threat South Of Yakima Leads To Evacuations Near Rattlesnake Ridge

By Anna King January 3, 2018

Officials in Yakima County are strongly urging residents living below a shifting mountainside near Union Gap to evacuate. A huge crack that appeared on Rattlesnake Ridge last year is beginning to widen. Read More