Monday, August 30, 2010

Haywood County Mountain Real Estate: East Canton Mudslide

Haywood County Mountain Real Estate: Hazardous-Land Disclosure

Before signing an offer to purchase Haywood County mountain real estate, interested parties should consider that Haywood County is one of twenty-one Western North Carolina counties classified landslide-hazardous by federal officials.

Haywood County Real Estate Landslide Risk Map

Haywood County building sites are classified unstable because of the region's geologic features and water-reactive soils. When heavy rains are forecast, the National Weather Service issues Western North Carolina bulletins advising that landslides and slope failures can be expected.


Unpublished 2005 Haywood County Stability Index Hazard Map.
Risk models show that 49% of Haywood County land is unstable.

Since landslide insurance is not available for Western North Carolina real property, purchasers should condition their contracts on professional engineering studies.

Canton, North Carolina Mudslide


The Mountaineer reported in their August 29, 2008 edition that an east Canton home had been damaged by a mudslide.

In the archived article, "Welcome rain brings woes, too," Greg Shuping, director of Haywood County Emergency Management Services told Staff writer, Beth Pleming that, "Due to heavy rains, the mountain behind the home slid off and broke down a retaining wall, sending water and mud sliding up against the house. It was a pretty dangerous situation, but again nobody got hurt. The homeowners (who were in the home at the time) self-evacuated."

No comments: