It’s no secret that Western Washington is prone to landslides. The combination of glacial soils, steep slopes, and water creates a risk that’s greater than in other parts of the US.
And it’s not just river valleys like the one near Oso: The region’s coastal bluffs are also danger zones that have experienced large landslides in recent decades.
But that still doesn’t deter people from living in those slide-prone areas.
The Poster Child For Landslide Risk
Ruth Trail has lived in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle for 23 years.