Elsmore, who moved into the home nearly a year ago, said there was a natural stream that ran between his home and the one that collapsed.

"It was always running, year-round," Elsmore said. "This year it was just bigger, double if not triple the size, compared to last year. For the past week there has been standing water on the road that couldn't go down the storm drains."

Sean Bartschi, Elsmore's roommate, was at a ranch near Bear Lake when the slide occurred. Bartschi said he got a call from Elsmore telling him that he heard a "loud crack" that was followed by flooding of their home.

"We haven't been able to get into our house yet," Bartschi said. "From what we've been able to see, the basement stairs are level with the ground."

Emergency crews have closed off four blocks surrounding the landslide. Gas leaks caused by the slide were quickly contained, Hunsaker said. About 600 homes in the area were temporarily without power, though it has been restored for all but the area of the landslide.

Several neighbors said they noticed cracks in the canal earlier in the week and that water had been leaking onto Canyon Road. Some said they had complained to Logan's public works department about the problem.

Mark Nielsen, director of public works for Logan, said landslides have been common in the area for the past 150 years, yet crews work to keep the canal system in the best condition possible.

The public works department was working with residents in The Island to get homes and streets cleaned the best they could, Nielsen said.

Hunsaker said four fire engines from the Logan City Fire Department responded to the initial call. As the situation worsened, Cache County Technical Response Teams and Hazmat were called in addition to a Technical Rescue Team from Weber County.

Urban Search and Rescue teams training in Logan with FEMA Friday were also on scene providing assistance and advice to working crews.

e-mail: cnorlen@desnews.com

Contributing: Pat Reavy