As the rainy season arrives (even if seems like it was only gone briefly) you can learn how to protect yourself and your property at a free landslide meeting this fall, sponsored by the City of Seattle.

It will be held at South Seattle Community College, in the Judge Warren & Nobie Chan Education Center
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 10 a.m. to noon.

Landslides are common in Seattle and West Seattle property owners, especially those along Beach Drive or Alki Avenue know all too well. Last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation addressed one of the more chronic places for this on Beach Drive near Atlas Place s.w. Trees were removed after several slides closed the road and barriers were placed at the base of the hill.Last May homeowners in the area joined together in a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and an area resident.

Landslides occur when there is tension between the stresses pulling down on a slope and the resistance holding it in place. The slope becomes more and more unstable as the forces of resistance and stress converge. The change in these forces is caused by dynamic factors. Some develop gradually, such as normal erosion and weathering. Others occur suddenly, such as earthquakes and torrential rains that increase water pressure within a slope.

Usually, the most catastrophic landslides occur on slopes that already have a low margin of safety (often due to weathering and erosion) and are struck by a sudden event (i.e., an earthquake, rain, or human alteration of the slope). Determining a slope's slide potential rests on discovering the inherent stability of the slope and the intensity of forces that undermine its stability.

Seattle property owners with structures that may be affected or endangered by a landslide should contact a geotechnical engineering professional for an evaluation. Affected properties might also need assistance from a structural engineer. Listings for geotechnical and structural engineers can be found in telephone directories and at websites for professional engineering associations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers Seattle Section Geotechnical Group or the Structural Engineers Association of Washington.