DALLAS, TEXAS -
Veronica Sanabria can hardly drive a few miles without seeing a landslide creeping closer to the roadway.
It is a far cry from what the long-time resident of Grand Prairie is used to seeing.
"I never used to see them," she said. "Now, it is hard not to miss them."
Across North Texas, landslides are popping up along city streets, highways and fields as heavy rains and snow cause the soil to shift and slide.
The Texas Department of Transportation is monitoring more than 50 landslide around Dallas and Tarrant counties, Mark Pettit, an agency spokesman, said.
Many, he said, are minor slides along freeways or drainage ditches that can be quickly fixed.
However, others are more than 20 feet wide and are sliding closer to freeways as rain continues to fall in North Texas.
"All we need is a few storms to come through and keep hitting us with water, and this could be very serious," he said.
In Fort Worth, one residents has already seen how devastating the landslides can be.
On Feb. 5, a 20-foot-tall piece of retaining wall along West Vickery Boulevard near South Hulen Street fell onto a passing car due to a nearby landslide.
The driver was not injured, but the retaining wall caused his car to roll.
The street has remained closed and homeowners were told to stay out of their backyards until workers can fix the retaining wall. No timetable has been set on the construction.
TCU geology professor John Breyer said the landslides are largely a product of the heavy rainfall that North Texas has seen over the past few months.
"If you get lots of rain, you can expect floods and slopes to move," he said. "That's what is happening."
TxDOT officials said they are hoping that they will be able to start making permanent fixes as the spring heats up.
"It'll be plenty dry by then," Pettit said.
It is a far cry from what the long-time resident of Grand Prairie is used to seeing.
"I never used to see them," she said. "Now, it is hard not to miss them."
Across North Texas, landslides are popping up along city streets, highways and fields as heavy rains and snow cause the soil to shift and slide.
The Texas Department of Transportation is monitoring more than 50 landslide around Dallas and Tarrant counties, Mark Pettit, an agency spokesman, said.
Many, he said, are minor slides along freeways or drainage ditches that can be quickly fixed.
However, others are more than 20 feet wide and are sliding closer to freeways as rain continues to fall in North Texas.
"All we need is a few storms to come through and keep hitting us with water, and this could be very serious," he said.
In Fort Worth, one residents has already seen how devastating the landslides can be.
On Feb. 5, a 20-foot-tall piece of retaining wall along West Vickery Boulevard near South Hulen Street fell onto a passing car due to a nearby landslide.
The driver was not injured, but the retaining wall caused his car to roll.
The street has remained closed and homeowners were told to stay out of their backyards until workers can fix the retaining wall. No timetable has been set on the construction.
TCU geology professor John Breyer said the landslides are largely a product of the heavy rainfall that North Texas has seen over the past few months.
"If you get lots of rain, you can expect floods and slopes to move," he said. "That's what is happening."
TxDOT officials said they are hoping that they will be able to start making permanent fixes as the spring heats up.
"It'll be plenty dry by then," Pettit said.
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