About 20 residents of the Shorewood neighborhood were forced from their homes Dec. 4 after a landslide pushed a wall of mud onto the street that provides access to their property.

Eight homes were evacuated.

According to North Highline Fire Chief Scott LaVielle, 11 homes were "yellow-tagged" and two were "red-tagged" in the residential neighborhood that features views of Puget Sound and Vashon Island.

City of Burien staff tagged the homes with yellow tags if they were safe for limited access. The red flags mean the houses must not be entered.

The principal damage from the morning mudslide, which followed heavy rain the previous day, occurred in the 130 block of Cove Point Road, where view homes rest on a terraced bluff.

Earth from a residence at 13030 Shorewood Dr. S.W. collapsed and turned to mud, which flowed toward homes located on Cove Point Road below.

Larry Moormeir, who has lived at the Shorewood Drive address for 53 years, was able to remain in his home in spite of having lost a substantial portion of his front yard.

LaVielle said officials from the county, fire district and Burien held a joint council at the site Tuesday morning and coordinated an emergency response effort.

All residents complied with the evacuation order and all found places to stay temporarily, LaVielle added.

Crews were busy until late Tuesday afternoon scooping up the mudslide with bucket loaders and taking away the slide material to clear the road.

"We don't know yet who will pay for this," LaVielle said.

No assessment of the property damage was available.

The Shorewood mudslide was the worst damage reported in the Highline area from last week's record rainfall, which was accompanied by moderate winds and scattered power outages.

After a five-month closure because of an earlier mudslide, a nearby area between Standring Lane Southwest and Shoreview Lane Southwest had been just recently reopened to traffic.

King County officials were encouraging all residents who suffered weather-related damages to their primary residence from the Dec. 3 storm to report those damages and estimated personal property losses.

The county's Office of Emergency Management set up a web site (www.kingcounty.gov/prepare) and a toll-free hotline (1-800-523-5044) to report the information.

The hotline will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The data will be used in requesting federal assistance. County staffers emphasize that reporting of damage does not guarantee assistance.

If a federal emergency is declared, additional information will be given to property owners on how to file claims with the appropriate agency.