Slow-moving landslide has Wash. town on high alert

UNION GAP, Wash. (AP) – A slow-moving landslide in central Washington state has forced evacuations as officials prepare for what they say is inevitable – the collapse of a ridge near an interstate highway.

Washington is wary of landslides following one in 2014 that killed dozens.

No one can predict exactly when the Rattlesnake Ridge landslide, located near the city of Yakima, will occur.

Experts say it should be sometime from late January or early February.

There are also widely varying opinions on the impact of a landslide, ranging from little damage to widespread flooding, especially in the Yakima suburb of Union Gap, which is closest to the slide area.