March 30, 2014 6:23 AM PDT
It continues to rain and that is hampering the landslide victim recovery efforts. We have had almost 20" of rain this month. A week ago Saturday, a wall of mud, trees and rocks slammed into the small community of Oso, 10 miles or so from where I live. The affected area is one square mile or look at it this way: 485 football fields would fit in the wrecked area. Rescue efforts have turned to Recovery efforts, 18 reported dead (I knew 4) but 20-25 bodies have been found. 90, then 70, now 30 are still missing, those are the reported numbers. Our community has been impacted on all levels, we know several of the folks involved in the recovery and the outpouring of help and caring in our small community is just what you would expect. Outstanding!
Personally, our lives go on much as they have but the 25 mile trip to the freeway has changed to almost 80 miles because the road out is now buried under 30-40 feet of mud, trees and rock. We carpooled with friends last week to pick up our meds and a few grocerys, so we have been fortunate and blessed that our life has been hardly inpacted while the largest landslide in WA history took place 10 miles from our house. I was going to take a ride that morning.
A tip-of-the-hat to the 150 volunteers and over 150 trained professionals that are dedicating their lives right now to the recovery of our friends and neighbors. We will come through this... together. If you wish to donate to the disaster recovery, please only use a known, real organization because there are always bottom-feeders that will take advantage of other folks misery.
Thanks For your prayers and good thoughts to all affected by this tragedy.
Edge 'SadMan' Walker