Why didn the anyone use excavation equipment to protect the townhomes or remove the slide material?
The experts from the Utah Geological Survey team recommended against any attempt to disturb the material. Disturbing the material would likely cause more material to move, and would possibly accelerate its decent down the hillside. Moving heavy equipment around on the hillside could further loosen the material and cause the slide to become a flow, which is a more sudden event where earth literally flows down the hillside like lava.
