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March 26, 2014

Mudslide Toll Hits 24; Report Warned of "Catastrophic" Land Instability 
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The death toll from a mudslide in Washington state has risen to 24.
Local fire chief Travis Hots said no one was found alive in a
challenging day of searching for survivors.

Travis Hots: "We had a very challenging day today with the rain, and
that just further complicated things. We continued our search and
recovery operation on the entire slide area. Unfortunately, we didn't
find any signs of life. We didn't locate anybody alive. I consider it
still a rescue operation, absolutely. It's a rescue and a recovery
operation. We haven't lost hope that there's a possibility that we could
find somebody alive in some pocket area. As the days go on and we
haven't seen any loss of life, we are coming to the realization that
that is — that may not be a possibility. But we are going full
steam ahead."

Around 170 people are reported to be missing, but there are hopes that
number will fall as more report their whereabouts. According to The
Seattle Times, there have been concerns about the area's geologic
instability dating back to 1950. A 1999 report for the Army Corps of
Engineers warned of "the potential for a large catastrophic failure."
But county officials have greenlighted building projects, including one
after a 2006 slide.

 

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