Oregonians: Are there many mudslides and or Earthquakes to worry about?

Question

I am relocating and am curious- I heard oregon has many mudslides. Thanks your information is very much appreciated.

Answer 1

Yes certain parts do have lots of mudslides. Not many earthquakes here. Mudslides happen mostly in the beach areas and high elevations.-L

Answer 2

There are occasionally mudslides. Do not live near Hwy 101 on the coast (or at least the Southern part), more often than not, you'll hear about a mudslide hitting somewhere around Florence, Oregon (southern part of the coast) and wiping out part of the highway or at least blocking it. Hwy 101 is the main way to get up and down the coast.

Inland, there are occasionally mudslides (very rarely) west of the mountains. Just don't live on any hills or at the bottom of any hills. You'll be okay.

Earthquakes rarely happen, one hit in like 1993 or so and did a little bit of damage. Occasionally there are little earthquakes, but they register at like 2.0 or something. No big deal.

The only big "weather" to happen to Oregon is flooding, windstorms and ice storms. In 1996, we had a really big flood that caused alot of damage. And a couple of years later, a bad windstorm hit and tore a roof off a restaurant in Newport on the coast. We seem to get 1 or 2 days every year where we have a bad ice storm which practically paralyzes the city--especially in 2005, Portland was frozen for a week and many things were cancelled.

Answer 3

We had two small earthquakes here in the 90's. One did quite a bit of damage to older stone and brick buildings in the Willamette Valley. I believe the state capitol building had to have some retrofitting. It's predicted that we'll eventually have a big quake, but of course, nobody knows when.

Mud slides are common over at the Oregon coast on Highway 101 and on some of the smaller roads which go from I-5 over the coastal range to the ocean. Very seldom is anyone injured but there are a few deaths over a decade or so. More recently, there have been mudslides where housing has been built in areas where it shouldn't have been allowed.

Stay off of the coast and out of the coastal mountains and you'll probably never see a mudslide. If there's any earth tremor, it's big news.

Answer 4

If you are on the west side of the Cascade mountains, you will see that there are places on the mountains where a mudslide has occured. But in all the years I've lived in, or been to the state, I've never been in a mudslide or seen one happening (I've lived here full time since '93 - on the south coast in the heart of mudslide county). The slides are most common in the early spring, but most people don't build houses on the hills themselves, or they terrace the hill, so there is little risk of a mudslide. Yes, trees come down and block road periodically, but they don't block the roads near as often as a car wreck blocks a road in a major city.

As for earthquakes, they are certainly a possibility, but you'ld be lucky if you ever felt one. The US geologic surveyors (USGS) show the risk on this handy map (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/hazmaps/products_data/2002/2002October/PN/PNpga2500v3.pdf) which shows what the risk is for a major earthquake in the region in the next 50 years.

Answer 5

Mudslides seem to be becomming more common. But if you dont live on a ledge you'll rpobably be fine. Foolish is the man who builds his house in the sand....In other words, poeple loose their common sence when their emotions get in the way. Earthquakes happen but not as bad as lets say California..