Massive landslides caught on camera

The video initially just shows rocks tumbling down the hillside onto the highway. Then a larger piece of the hill begins to move, and you can hear Edwards shouting as he runs away from the massive landslide. The entire hillside sloughs off and the camera spins around.When all was done, dirt, rocks and trees covered a 500-foot stretch of the road about 40 feet deep. Edwards said he typically shoots phone video of the minor mudslides and rockslides he mops up. He didn’t expect to capture such a mass of debris crashing down. The slide briefly cut off electrical service to more than 650 account holders around Elk City and left everyone behind it largely stranded until Tuesday, when county, state and federal officials started convoys along an alternate route. That backup route is a soft forest road that had been covered in snow and could be damaged by too much use. Both Idaho County’s commissioners and Gov. Butch Otter have issued disaster declarations over the landslide, possibly opening the door to additional state and federal assistance. The county’s declaration estimated it may take three or more weeks to reopen the highway, at a cost of more than $1.5 million, according to the Lewiston Tribune.