A resident of Collard Lake Heights in Florence is requesting a landslide risk assessment in light of the recent devastating mudslide in Oso, Washington.
Shauna Boyd, who lives in the Heights, says her neighbors share her concern. A recent clear cut on hills above and surrounding the neighborhood, together with ongoing rains, have made the area particularly vulnerable, she says. Boyd and her neighbors want the forestry department, which approved the clear-cut, to prohibit further cutting and to assess the area’s current and future vulnerability to landslides. Shauna Boyd:
Boyd: “What we are requesting the Forestry Department do is reassess our landslide risk with an impartial qualified geologist. We’d like to know if there are any plans in place protect our neighborhood”
Forestry Department spokesman Nick Hennemann says the timber operation has been diligently reviewed and monitored. The Department finds it presents no indication of a potential landslide or other public risk.