Emergency services in Washington state have started to prepare an emergency response plan after a mudslide blocked a private access road residents rely on to get to town.
Snohomish County sheriff's officials have scouted a horse farm as a potential helicopter landing zone for emergency air evacuation east of Monroe, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Seattle, the Everett Herald reported Wednesday.
“It’s a perfect day for us and the pilots to get eyes on the possible landing zone in the case we need it,” said Heather Chadwick, Fire District 7 spokeswoman. “But again, this is not our primary response for getting them down the hill.”
Authorities are preparing potential efforts after a mudslide broke off a chuck of 260th Avenue earlier this month blocking resident access and forcing 120 residents to walk or use all-terrain vehicles to get in or out of town.