Aged drainage pipe blamed for landslide according to Palisades developer
Tasi Vista Development, developer of the multimillion-dollar Palisades subdivision said that an aged concrete drainage pipe failed, causing the landslide that occurred in the early morning of Oct. 15
Videos circulating social media showed a section of the cliff line along Marine Corp Drive in East Hagåtña had collapsed, causing debris to clog the northbound and southbound lanes of the roadway.
The Department of Public Works clears debris from Marine Corp Drive after a landslide occurred in the early morning of Oct. 15. Photo by Skyler Obispo
Eduardo Calvo, a representative of the developer, said in a statement released by the Palisades, the project’s underground infrastructure was designed to withstand severe weather.
“Months ago we also integrated interim drainage and supplemental containment systems under the direction of [the Guam Environmental Protection Agency] to secure the construction site, including temporary ponding basins,” he said.
Ponding or retention basins are used to manage stormwater runoff which protects against flooding and for erosion control.
Calvo said that the temporary ponding basins and mitigation measures were “seemingly uncompromised” and said that no erosion on any of the Palisades lots were observed during an inspection of the site that morning.
The Palisades said that the high rains the evening prior exacerbated the aged integrity of the concrete pipes which led to the land slide.
GEPA placed a Stop Work Order in the afternoon of Oct. 15. Calvo said that the developer is working with GEPA and the Department of Public Works to drain the basins, among other requirements of the order.
“We continue to actively monitor our project’s site conditions and coordinate with the government to adapt whatever containment strategies are necessary during the remainder of the construction period,” Calvo said. mbj
With Super Typhoon Bavi now packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and forecast to strengthen further as it moves toward the Marianas, emergency officials are urging businesses and residents to treat this weekend as their critical window to prepare for potentially damaging winds.
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are now in Condition of Readiness 3 as Typhoon Bavi approaches, with both governors urging residents and businesses to use the remaining hours of fair weather to prepare.
Task Force Talon relinquished command to the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (3-43 ADA), ushering in a new battalion to take over Guam’s air missile defense systems.
Emergency management agencies across the region are urging residents and businesses to execute disaster preparedness plans as Tropical Storm 09W is forecast to rapidly intensify and potentially strike Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a Category four super typhoon.
