Update from the Washington Jones Boys about the Oso Mudslide.
Today we drove down and visited for the first time the nation's deadliest landslide. The pictures don't do justice. A small community literally was covered when an logged mountain couldn't hold an abnormal amount of rain. We expected to do some hiking this afternoon, but the area is off limits to the public. A makeshift memorial of this tragic event is located where we were able to stop and snap a few pictures.
The text on the makeshift memorial....
This is the site of the deadliest landslide in U.S. history. The SR 530 Flooding and Mudslide disaster occurred at 10:37 a.m. March 22, 2014. It took lives of 43 people and injured 10 others, destroyed 36 homes, and flooded 9 others as the slide material dammed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River. The slide also damaged a one-mile section of State Route 530 and the Whitehorse Trail.
The future of this area is dependent upon many factors, including river activity during the winter and spring, as well as any further movement of the hillside.
Snohomish County Parks has purchased thirteen (13) acres with conservation futures funds for a future memorial site that will meet the expectations of the families affected by this disaster. The families consider this ground hallowed and we ask for your cooperation by staying off the property until a formal memorial can be developed.
Looking through the Jones Boy's windshield at the remains of the mudslide and the makeshift memorial, with what looks to be a flower tribute at its base.
