Slide cuts off 200 people near Index

Slide cuts off 200 people near Index

The slide, still in progress, has taken a bite out of the road, a lifeline to 200 year-round residents.

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Story Published: Jan 10, 2009 at 6:18 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 11, 2009 at 12:14 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

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INDEX, Wash. - A mountain neighborhood of about 200 people has been cut off Saturday night after a new landslide made the only access road impassable.

The slide is blocking the Mount Index River Road in eastern Snohomish County, which connects the residents with Highway 2 and the rest of the world.

Snohomish County's Department of Emergency Management is evaluating the damage and coordinating efforts to safely clear the landslide from the roadway, which is a lifeline to the people who live there.

No injuries or damage to homes has been reported, said Christopher Schwarzen of the county's emergency management team.

The new landslide happened at about 9 a.m. Saturday, undermining Mount Index River Road, also known as Forest Service Road 62, which connects to Highway 2.

The road is still walkable but continues to slide into the south fork of the Skykomish River. The slide is considered "still in progress" and is a mix of snow, mud and trees, officials said.

Julia Akin, a resident of the area, said she drove out Saturday morning to do some errands, and when she returned the roadway was closed. Suddenly she was separated from her family, unable to get home.

"I'm a little nervous. It's hard for me to be away from my kids - they're both under 2," she said.

County officials said about 200 year-round residents live on private tracts that can only be accessed by the damaged road. An additional 100 seasonal residents live there in the summer months.

The U.S. Forest Service, which maintains the road, has asked Snohomish County to assess damages and determine what might be done to stop the slide.

Schwarzen said the most likely plan is to break through the side of the mountain and create a new passage through to the homes while engineers assess how to shore up the landslide that's undermining the road.

Snohomish County Sheriff deputies and local fire officials earlier went from door to door, notifying residents. There currently is no estimate of when the road may reopen.

The American Red Cross shelter at The Rock Church, 16891 146th St. SE in Monroe, will remain open tonight and the Sultan School District has agreed to transport residents to the shelter by bus.

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