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Residents flee after slide near West Virginia-Kentucky border

The slide -- 300 feet wide, 500 feet long and up to 20 feet deep -- happened late Thursday near the state's border with Kentucky

By Doug G. Ware
At least seven mudslides have struck in southern West Virginia as heavy rains and snow saturated the topsoil. A small community in Mingo County was evacuated after a slide occurred late March 5, 2015. Photo: West Virginia Dept. of Transportation
At least seven mudslides have struck in southern West Virginia as heavy rains and snow saturated the topsoil. A small community in Mingo County was evacuated after a slide occurred late March 5, 2015. Photo: West Virginia Dept. of Transportation

MINGO COUNTY, W.Va., March 6 (UPI) -- Yet another mudslide in southern West Virginia prompted the evacuations of nearly 100 people Friday, authorities said.

Heavy snow and rain in Mingo County saturated the topsoil before the slide, CBS News reported, and triggered a slide approximately 300 feet wide and 500 feet long, and up to 20 feet deep, around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

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At least three homes in the rural area were damaged by the slide, but authorities said only one was occupied. Friday, dozens of people left their homes in the area and took refuge at a makeshift shelter set up by the Red Cross at a nearby college. Some residents chose to stay once electricity was restored.

No injuries have so far been reported from the mudslide, which is at least the seventh to strike the area in the last few days. West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Wednesday night in advance of severe winter storms expected to hit the state.

"The statewide state of emergency remains in place as we continue to monitor the effects of winter storm Thor," Gov. Tomblin said Friday. "

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Thursday's slide cut off access to a small community near the town of Nolan, above U.S. Highway 119 near the state's border with Kentucky. West Virginia's highways department said it will take four or five weeks to clear away debris from the slide, the Metro News reported.

Emergency officials were concerned about the slide's movement, as four inches of snow and an inch of rain fell in the area preceding Thursday's event. Tomblin said they will continue to monitor the situation through the weekend.

"According to the National Weather Service, no additional major weather concerns are expected this weekend," he said. "As waters in most areas continue to fall, local and state officials will continue to monitor the situation in the coming days.

"I am extremely proud of our state's response to this massive winter storm, and I'd like to thank all first responders, the West Virginia National Guard, local and state road crews, and all West Virginians who have worked hard to help combat this storm."

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