March 28, 2013 – WASHINGTON – A chunk of Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington slid into water early this morning, forcing the evacuation of 34 homes. At one home at the new cliff edge, a steady stream of soil can be seen leaking out from beneath the building. Authorities are continuing to monitor a house where there’s still slide activity, as dirt continues to slough off the cliff, said Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue Chief Ed Hartin. Fire and Rescue went to a home around 4 a.m. this morning in Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Wash., to find it had been pushed off its foundation. Hartin told ABCNews.com that when he arrived, the home was already a considerable distance down the cliff by the water. The landslide stretched across 400 to 500 yards and the earth dropped 600 to 700 yards down to the water, reported ABC’s Seattle affiliate KOMO, with trees and tons of dirt smashing into homes down below and wiping out a road. Somehow no one was injured. Hartin said rescuers used ATVs to reach the home that had slid down the cliff.
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