photo by: Eric Ayres

A massive landslide behind homes on Hildreth Avenue in the Warwood neighborhood of Wheeling has residents concerned not only about the cleanup but also of potential issues related to the stability of the hillside.

WHEELING – When Richard and Angeleana Brunt moved into their new home in Warwood with their children last October, the large open yard nestled against a wooded hillside at the end of a quiet street was one of the attractive features of the property.

That all changed very quickly last week after torrential rains brought flooding to low-lying areas and caused the Ohio River to swell to the worst flood level in nearly 20 years. Those rains also saturated the ground in many areas and triggered landslides that caused significant damage in a number of locations – including Hildreth Avenue.

The Brunts’ yard – once dotted with tiny manicured pine trees – became buried beneath a massive heap of mud and debris last week when the hillside above them came down.

“It took out our trampoline and our driveway,” Angeleana said. “It creamed our shed – flattened it, and it’s pushing against our deck. We’ve been working so hard on this property, and then this happened to us.”

The couple bought the property in July and moved there last fall. Their three kids used to be able to play in the yard, and the family even had an Easter egg hunt there just over a week ago, but now it looks more like a disaster area. And the most frustrating part of the entire dilemma is what has become apparent at every turn when they’ve sought help – they’ve basically been told time and time again that it’s their problem to deal with alone.

“Of course, the insurance company says it’s an ‘earth movement event,'” Richard Brunt noted, explaining that homeowners insurance will not cover damages caused by events like landslides caused by Mother Nature.

The couple has reached out to city officials, county officials and others seeking help.

“The city did un-bury us that night,” she said, noting that Wheeling crews dug out their driveway because their vehicles were trapped near the house and couldn’t access Hildreth Avenue when a part of the landslide covered the driveway. “That’s why two of our cars aren’t here. We parked them down the hill so we know they won’t get blocked in again.”

It’s quite possible that the driveway may get covered again, as the slip continues to move. They placed small flag markers around the slide to monitor any further movement.

The first wave of the slide – the one that took out the trampoline – came down quickly.

“We were standing on our back patio when it happened,” Angeleana said, noting that subsequent slips crept down slowly. Much of the devastation was caught on outdoor video surveillance. “It has slipped seven times, in total. It was like a mountain creeping down the hillside. The ground and trees just came sliding down.”

One tree that was on the neighboring property ended up right in their front yard – still rooted and standing straight up.

“That tree isn’t even ours,” Angeleana said.

The family stayed in a hotel room last week for fear that the entire hillside was now unstable and may take out their house.

Richard Brunt said the amount of work and the amount of money it would take just to stabilize the hillside – let alone clean up the mess – would likely be tens of thousands of dollars … all out-of-pocket.

“It looks like a meteor just hit there,” Richard Brunt said. “There’s literally a crater in the ground up there. And now there is a huge rock that is teetering over the hillside.”

The couple fears that the big rock may careen down the hill and hit the Garden Park Terrace apartments.

Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said City Operations crews and the Wheeling Fire Department were at the scene last week.

“It is a big slip,” Herron said. “Our crews assessed the situation, and they’ve determined that the rock – if it does fall – will just get stuck in the mud below and is not endangering any of the structures.”

Herron said the city crews did help clear the couples’ driveway last week and will be seeking any available funding through sources such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“They said FEMA can’t help or even begin to acknowledge it until there is a declaration of disaster for the area,” Richard Brunt noted. “In the end, I would imagine they would have to do that, with all of the damage in Wheeling Island and everywhere else.”

An old culvert on the hillside had collected some water from a stream, but the landslide took out the pipe that carried the rain water away. Now parts of the stream appear to be flowing directly through the Brunts’ yard. And they are afraid of what the next heavy rain may bring.

“The hillside keeps coming down,” Richard Brunt said. “It makes you wonder where liability and accountability comes in for other people.”

They’ve been advised to seek legal assistance, but until then, they are not sure how to go about fixing the problem even if the lengthy prospect of litigation over a civil property dispute did come into play.

“No one else is helping us,” Angeleana Brunt said, noting that even if a private contractor came to clean up the yard, there is still an issue with a potentially unstable hillside on the adjacent property. “I’m afraid nobody would even touch it without the neighboring hillside stabilized first.”

At this point, we’re looking for anybody who can help, tell us where to go, what to do,” Richard Brunt said.

A GoFundMe page was set up by the couple, and for anyone wishing to help, they are asked to reach out by calling 304-650-0415.