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MUDSLIDE IN WASHINGTON STATE, USA. SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA . LOCATION MAP. LOCATION MAP. LOCATION MAP. LOCATION MAP. SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON STATE. THIS SITE AND THE MUDSLIDE WERE NOT SURPRISES.
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MUDSLIDE IN WASHINGTON STATE, USA SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA
PRIOR PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES • In 2006 after a smaller landslide occurred on the north fork of the Stillaguamish River, millions of dollars were spent on regional mitigation measures.
PRIOR PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES • In 2010, a report commissioned by the county in order to be in compliance with federal regulations identified the hillside that collapsed Saturday outside of the community of Oso as particularly susceptible.
THE 2014 MUDSLIDE • Officials described the mudslide as "a big wall of mud and debris” that blocked about a mile of State Route 530 near the town of Oso, about 55 miles north of Seattle.
THE 2014 MUDSLIDE • The slide, which occurred on Saturday morning, was triggered by heavy rainfall and reported to be about 25 m (80 feet) deep in some parts.
SEARCH AND RESCUE WAS HALTED FOR MOST OF SATURDAY BECAUSE THE SITE WAS UNSTABLE
THE DILEMNA FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS • The debris pile is about a square mile (2 1/2 square kilometers) and 30 to 80 feet (9 to 25 meters) deep in places, with a surface that includes quicksand-like muck, rain-slickened mud, and ice. • The terrain is difficult to navigate on foot and very treacherous when heavy equipment is brought in.
AN ALL OUT EFFORT • A total of 156 workers were taking part in search and recovery efforts on Tuesday and 50 National Guard members were expected to join later in the day..
Specialized teams and high-tech equipment — including technology to locate cellphone pings under the wreckage — were being deployed on Tuesday
AN ALL OUT EFFORT • With search and cadaver dogs leading the way, rescuers used small bulldozers and their bare hands to push through sludge strewn with splintered homes and twisted cars to find 10 more bodies in the debris of the mudslide.
--- AS CONTINUING RAINFALL INCREASED THE RISK TO THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS FROM POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODS AND ADDITIONAL MUDSLIDES
THE DILEMNA FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS • To make matters worse, the debris pile includes other hazards such as fallen trees, propane and septic tanks, twisted vehicles, and countless pieces of shattered homes
Snohomish County Fire Chief Travis Hots hailed the rescue crews Thursday as “unsung heroes,” noting their tireless efforts to continue searching for bodies.
Due to the dangerous environment, as bodies are being discovered underneath the rubble, they are being flown out together in groups each afternoon instead of one at a time in helicopters.
Some survivors began to grow impatient Wednesday when they weren't allowed to return to the sites of their homes to search for their valuables and memorabilia..
176 MISSING14 DEAD AS OF TUESDAY, MARCH 25
AT LEAST 100 MISSING24 DEAD AS OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26
March 29 marked a week since a chunk of rain-soaked hillside 1,500 feet long tumbled onto a river near the tiny community of OSA, smothering a state road and swallowing up .dozens of homes
AT LEAST 30 MISSING28 DEAD AS OF SATURDAY, MARCH 29
AT LEAST 13 MISSING30 DEAD AS OF THURSDAY, APRIL 3
IT IS NOW PAINFULLY CLEAR THAT SOME BODIES WILL NEVER BE RECOVERED
April 5, 2014, 7:14 AM • An interdenominational memorial service was held in Arlington, Washington for the victims, families and rescuers of a deadly mudslide in Washington State, which killed 30 and left 13 missing.