Some photos from searching mudslide in WA, heavy on the mud. dialup warning

[uppityperson]

Many more at link. These are incredible, show the conditions the search and rescue is having to deal with.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mudslide-searchers-press-on-with-dogs-bare-hands-252441281.html?tab=gallery&c=y


A searcher uses a small boat to look through debris from a deadly mudslide Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Oso, Wash. At least 14 people were killed in the 1-square-mile slide that hit in a rural area about 55 miles northeast of Seattle on Saturday. Several people also were critically injured, and homes were destroyed. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)



Searchers look through debris from a deadly mudslide Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Oso, Wash. At least 14 people were killed in the 1-square-mile slide that hit in a rural area about 55 miles northeast of Seattle on Saturday. Several people also were critically injured, and homes were destroyed. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)



Where did the river go?



Volunteers with chainsaws cross a small creek as they head to the scene of a deadly mudslide Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Oso, Wash. At least 14 people were killed in the 1-square-mile slide that hit in a rural area about 55 miles northeast of Seattle on Saturday. Several people also were critically injured, and homes were destroyed. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)


Shoe in the mud


At the edge


Too sad


Good dog Stratus

[giftedgirl77]

1. These shots are amazing but am I missing the link,

I don't see it?

[uppityperson]

2. oops, sorry, added.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mudslide-searchers-press-on-with-dogs-bare-hands-252441281.html?tab=gallery&c=y

[giftedgirl77]

3. Thanks

[Suich]

4. Heartbreaking.

[countryjake]

5. "It haunts me," Co. Emer Mgmt Director John Pennington said.

When he broke down at the news briefing this morning, the grief from this whole week just overwhelmed me. Tho, I'll also say, this tragedy should haunt quite a few higher-ups, including him. Putting Republicans in charge of any sort of emergency response often ends up in results like we've witnessed this week; the guy has close ties to FEMA (former director for our region) and I can't help but wonder if he couldn't have rallied to bring in more heavy-duty help from the start, immediately. He had to know that this was a major disaster, early on.

I don't know, I'm feeling really down since this whole landslide happened, probably oughta just keep my mouth shut.

[uppityperson]

6. From what I have read, the mud was still moving for a good day. Rescuers were getting stuck and

needing rescuing, etc. My spouse says it reminds of Pompeii. Me, it reminds me of MtStHelen's lahars. It is not land but mud and it is really awful.

But I know what you mean. The stuff coming out about previous slide, etc? I hope places look more closely from here onout. And even with all that, it just sucks.

[countryjake]

19. That mud is still moving, now, and the scarp is still falling away...

They've shown videos of parts of the hillside coming down, just yesterday and again on Monday; that's one of the reasons that they continually have to keep calling the search teams back in. With the force of the Stilly right in the middle of it all, the area is like a moving peat bog on top of a landfill, incredibly dangerous, quicksand full of nails, broken glass, splintered boards, tree limbs, metal sheeting, and raw shit. Sprinkled all over with the volatile elements that are found at practically every rural homestead up here...propane, gasoline, and oil. Not to mention the weather...we had a thunderstorm, more than half an inch of rain, over here yesterday. And it's still raining right now, off and on all day.

I truly worry about the folks who are actually there, on the scene, doing this horrific task of recovery; the risks they're taking are huge. To think that it should have been foreseen, that it was a tragedy waiting to happen, makes their job all the worse.

[uppityperson]

7. And oh fuck the news. I tried watching national news and flipped them off. KIRO is doing full press

conference but national news? yes, they are covering it but oh so serious, then focus on a weeping friend/family, then oh so serious and we are off to the awful fire in Boston and oh so serious, focus on weary firefighter then off to missing airline oh so serious and focus on....ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I rarely watch tv news because it is so entertainment focused and this makes me remember that is how they are.

So, 90 missing, 35 they don't know about (more of "X had a friend Y who visits sometimes) but at least missing is down to 90.

[greatlaurel]

10. Rachel Maddow had a segment on this disaster.

It was well done, IMO. She asked a lot of serious questions.

I am so sad for the families and sick at heart because this could have been prevented. We really need to pay attention to our environment. Doing the right thing for the environment saves human lives, too. Somehow that idea has been lost.

[uppityperson]

12. Thank you, that is good to hear. Sorry for the rant, it just got to me.

[greatlaurel]

17. I know what you mean.

This is just a tip of the iceberg, though. We are standing on the brink and we must act soon to save ourselves. It is so hard to get people to see beyond their immediate self interest. Here in Ohio, our crazed GOP thugs are going all in for fracking. We had five earthquakes last week, it is only a matter of time before we have some sort of disaster here since nothing is built for earthquakes, like a dam failure, or a sludge disposal site(and we have hundreds of those) breaks due to the earthquakes and kills people. It is so infuriating.

I thought your rant was righteous.

[Sunlei]

18. bothered me too. when they heard voices calling for help, thats when lights and rafts! should have

launched. They waited to long.

[countryjake]

20. And big helicopters with those huge search lights they're equipped with...

considering that we've got two great big military complexes right here, in close proximity, I can't really understand why some heavy-duty equipment wasn't brought in on the very first day.

It was said that they couldn't pinpoint where the cries for help were coming from in the dark that night, that they were unable to get close enough due to the river damming up. Well, I live fairly near to a National Guard station and regularly see a parade of their amphibious vehicles roaring up and down the road, here because our own mighty river often floods...such a duck might have been useful on that first night. Why weren't they called in earlier? I did see a hover craft whiz by, being towed by one of my own county's emergency vehicles, heading upriver at ninety miles an hour, siren blaring, but that wasn't until late Sunday afternoon.

I guess that I just really really wish that more could have been done when the landslide first happened.

It was just announced that the official death toll has now reached 25 victims. Confirmed victims.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. kick

[malaise]

9. You won't see anything more beautiful than this in that devastation -video at link

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/helicopter-rescue-crew-rescues-boy-4-washington-mudslide-video-article-1.1735243
Jacob Spillers, 4, was rescued from the mudslide in Oso, Wash., on Saturday

[uppityperson]

11. Notice how treacherous the ground is? So glad they were able to get to him.

They said he was walking across the mud. Like the couple where he survived and she didn't, it can be something so minor that makes the difference between getting out safe and not. His father and 3 of his sibs are still in there.

Thank you for the video, he is so cute.

[malaise]

13. The photo of his family teared me up

I'm so glad he got a chance to live - he's only four damn it.

You're welcome uppityperson

[Cha]

14. ..

[uppityperson]

15. On the positive side, they culled the Missing list to 90 with 35 potentials that are very maybeish

On the negative side, there are still 90 people on the missing list. Like they said in the press conference, you would think if they were visiting someone, someone might say "hey, did you hear about your town" and they'd call and check in. 90 is not a hard "that many are still there" and will fluctuate, but for now they say it is a good working number.

[Cha]

16. Thank you for that, uppity..

[countryjake]

21. 4-month-old Sanoah Violet Huestis was found this morning.

Little "Snowy" will be buried next to her grandma.

http://www.king5.com/news/oso-landslide/Sanoah-violet-baby-found-Oso-252719021.html

Sanoah Violet Huestis and her grandmother, Christina Jefferds, were victims of Saturday’s slide. Jefferds, 45, was babysitting when it happened.

Sanoah was found around 10 a.m. Thursday in the debris, not far from where Jefferds was found.

Jefferds’ husband, Seth, and his step-daughter, Natasha Huestis, were in Arlington when it happened. Huestis is Sanoah’s mother.

"Sanoah's name is Hawaiian. My mom, she came up with Sanoah's middle name, Violet," said Natasha earlier this week "Sanoah Violet. Her name means mist in the mountains. And you know, she's in the mountains right now."

Seth is a firefighter in Oso.

Video with family's story:
http://www.king5.com/video?id=252396371&sec=1987731

[uppityperson]

22. aw damn. I am glad they found here and am so sad she was there.

[William769]

23. What a tradegy.