SEATTLE - With all the rain and more on the way, it's the start of mudslide season.
It's a problem around the region, but especially in Seattle where so many homes are built on and below steep slopes.
The first slides of the season happened on the rain-pounded Olympic Peninsula where a landslide came down onto Highway 101 overnight.
But it's not just roads that get hit. A garage near Gig Harbor collapsed with vehicles inside when a landslide came down from above, though the owner says the cause in this case may have more to do with a broken water main than rainfall.
Seattle stands out because it has a high concentration of steep slopes and lots of people living on them. Because of that risk, Northwest cities including Seattle worked with the U.S. Geological Survey to come up with a warning system.
But as the rains keep coming, and the ground grows increasingly saturated, the odds go up that a slope will come down.
On Saturday, Seattle's Planning and Development Department is holding an open house at the Northgate Community Center so homeowners can hear from experts and learn the do's and don'ts about landslides.
For more information about the Landslide Awareness Meeting, go to http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/emergency/landslides/.
