Landslide continues to expand due to increase of rainy weather

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — After storms rolled in over the weekend, a landslide in Hardin County continues to expand, overlooking the Tennessee River.

Two homes collapsed after the initial landslide in February, but now a red-roofed home is in the path of destruction.

“It was about 20 feet from the house, now it’s underneath the edge of the house,” said Hardin County Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Melvin Martin. “They’ve moved out and got everything out, but there’s not much they can do for it.”

Martin says spring showers are raising the level of concern for the landslide.

“It just depends on the amount of rain and stuff like that, how much it will move. The heavy rain definitely makes it worse,” explained Martin.

A large section of Glendale Road in Morris Chapel is closed due to the landslide, but the county highway department is working to create a new road.

“They are working on doing a bypass a couple of hundred feet back and building the road. So they’re planning on reopening it, but it probably will be six months or longer,” Martin shared.

The fire department is continuing to monitor the landslide.

Due to safety concerns, they are asking people to avoid the area and to not cross any of the barricades.

Martin says aside from the red-roofed house, no other homes in the immediate area of the landslide are at risk of collapsing.