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Landslides Force Evacuations, Road Closures As Wet Weather Continues

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Landslides continued to be a problem throughout the Pittsburgh area Saturday, forcing evacuations and road closures as wet weather continued.

Construction crews spent the day clearing away mud and debris from this hillside on Greenleaf Street in Duquesne Heights. You could still see mud sliding down the hill. The city said the landslide was reported around 5:15 p.m. Friday. A nearby home was evacuated two hours later. Animal control took two dogs from the scene and utilities were shut off. The concern now is getting the slide stabilized with more rain in the forecast.

Devin Miller lives on Greenleaf.

"They've been going since 8 p.m. yesterday until this morning and still there's dump trucks going down the road. They're taking a lot of dirt away," said Miller.

greenleaf street mudslide 2
(Photo Credit: Amy Wadas/KDKA)

Miller said the hillside has been an ongoing problem since last summer. Other residents on his street say the same.

"They actually left the mud about a foot and a half into the road and paved around the mudslide," said Miller.

Two months ago, Miller said he was coming up Greenleaf while another car was coming down the hill.

"Last minute they moved into the center of the lane because the road is now tight to begin with because of the landslide forcing me off of the road and into the guardrail," said Miller.

The accident cost him $1,000 in damages.

Not too far from Duquesne Heights, the city closed down Newton Street in the South Side Slopes due to a slow slide headed toward Windom Street below.

In the Squirrel Hill/Swisshelm Park area, Forward Avenue at Commercial Street was blocked to traffic Saturday morning.

The city said it's not sure how long it will take to clean up the mess in Duquesne Heights or how long Greenleaf will be closed to drivers.

In West Elizabeth, a landslide brought down a large tree in the 3000 block of Scotia Hollow Road. As the tree fell, it brought wires and a transformer down onto a roadway. Scotia Hollow Road was closed between Hogback Road and State Street.

On Friday afternoon, a landslide along Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills brought concrete slabs down a hill and into the parking lot of a food service company below, crushing a van and a trailer.

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