Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Lacey resident Lilian Mustelier, who hosts a cable television show on the paranormal, says her mobile home is the only residence in Lacey to be condemned as a result of the Nisqually Earthquake.

Lacey mobile home red-tagged

Soil sinks rapidly after 6.8 quake

RUTH LONGORIA, THE OLYMPIAN

LACEY -- In addition to being known for her TCTV cable television program, "A Visit with a Person of High Strangeness," Lilian Mustelier has a new distinction.

The 53-year-old woman is the only resident of Lacey to own a red-tagged home, courtesy of the Feb. 28 Nisqually Earthquake, authorities said.

Mustelier's single-wide mobile home -- in the Meadow Green trailer park on Pacific Avenue -- was deemed unsafe following a structural inspection Monday by a geologist and structural inspectors with the city of Lacey.

A red-tag rating indicates serious damage, meaning the building should not be entered or occupied.

Wade Duffy, senior building code specialist with the city of Lacey, said Mustelier's home is on very unsafe ground.

"This is ground that is sitting almost on air," Duffy said.

"The ground was probably backfilled many years ago. And the soil, without a doubt, has some sort of organic material underneath that has decayed over the last 30 years," he said.

Mustelier has lived in the mobile home for about 15 years.

She called the city of Lacey to request an inspection after her trailer began creaking and she noticed several cracks following the earthquake.

Geo-technical soil specialist Dave Strong used a 3-foot-long probe to test the ground after he observed severe cracking and dropping away of the soil under and around the mobile home.

"You could tell something was wrong just by walking on the ground, because it felt like walking on foam. But the probe went into the ground like butter," Duffy said.

Materials in the fill dirt would likely decompose and drop with time anyway -- but the 6.8 shaker was the catalyst, he said.

"We think the earthquake shaking certainly caused the settlement," he said.

In order to fix the problem, Duffy said, the mobile home will need to be pulled out completely and the ground dug out beyond the organic substances and replaced with new dirt.

That may not be possible, Mustelier said.

"I was told that I can't go into my home and move anything without causing it to sink," she said. "I don't think anyone will be able to pull the trailer out."

In the past two days, there are several large, new cracks under her car and she has been told she can't remove it from the carport, she said.

Mustelier spent Monday night with her daughter, Monica Moore of Olympia, and Moore's seven children.

Moore is worried about her mother.

"She's still in shock, but when that wears off, I don't know what she'll do," Moore said. "This is the second time she has lost everything. We had a house fire in the 1980s."

Mustelier has applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and on Tuesday the Red Cross provided her with a week's food and lodging at Bailey Motor Inn in Olympia. They also provided clothing vouchers.

"I was really grateful for that because everything I own is in my trailer -- my clothes, treasures, pictures, videotapes and VCR to work with -- everything," Mustelier said.

The only thing she was able to get out of her home was her cat, an exotic tabby named Miss ET.

Robert Phillips of Olympia owns Meadow Green trailer park, where Mustelier rents space for her mobile home.

Phillips has owned the park for less than two years and does not know what kind of soil is under the 19 trailers on the property, he said.

"We have insurance in place, though, and we'll have to call the agents," Phillips said. "We may have to talk with Lilian and FEMA and find out what can be done."

Phillips said he is concerned about Mustelier.

"It's pretty disastrous. I hope we can get her out of this situation."

Al Atkinson, 57, and Vickie White, 46, also live in the trailer park.

Although White said she is a little nervous and concerned about the fate of the homes there, Atkinson said he has checked underneath their home and believes it is safe.

"Things look all right to me. It's not like with Lilian's," Atkinson said. "She's sitting on a sinkhole."

Ruth Longoria writes for The Olympian. She can be reached at 754-5435.

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