Oso mudslide

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

 

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

 

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)

Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

 

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Custom-made tributes to families lost are displayed at the Oso Landslide Memorial on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

How to watch the Oso landslide ceremony for the 10th anniversary

A ceremony to honor the 43 lost on March 22, 2014, began at 10 a.m. Friday.

Custom-made tributes to families lost are displayed at the Oso Landslide Memorial on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

In recent deadly landslide in Alaska, echoes of Oso

The landslide lacked the scale of what happened in Oso a decade ago. But it also rocked a community.

A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and his girlfriend Alisha Garvin as they and other families gather to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the Oso mudslide on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in Oso, Wa. Huestis' sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed in the mudslide.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

A recap of the Oso mudslide through The Daily Herald archives

Here’s an overview of past Herald coverage of the 2014 Oso mudslide.

A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and his girlfriend Alisha Garvin as they and other families gather to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the Oso mudslide on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in Oso, Wa. Huestis' sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed in the mudslide.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
A car pulling an empty trailer drives eastbound along Highway 530 in front of the Oso mudslide site on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 in Oso, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A brief timeline of the Oso mudslide

Ten years ago, the deadliest slide in U.S. history struck between Arlington and Darrington. Here’s a look back.

A car pulling an empty trailer drives eastbound along Highway 530 in front of the Oso mudslide site on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 in Oso, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
University of Washington geomorphologist David Montgomery studied the Oso landslide. He was at his office in Johnson Hall on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Seattle, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

What geologists learned from Oso, and what they wish they knew in 2014

Too often with natural hazards, it takes a tragedy, geologists said. Now the state allocates millions to mapping landslides.

University of Washington geomorphologist David Montgomery studied the Oso landslide. He was at his office in Johnson Hall on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Seattle, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Carvings with words of tribute are displayed at the Oso Landslide Memorial on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Arlington, WA. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

New memorial means ‘everything’ to survivors, 10 years after Oso slide

At the 2-acre site, bronze and steel sculptures rise against the backdrop of the slide, making use of shadows and light — tragedy and hope.

Carvings with words of tribute are displayed at the Oso Landslide Memorial on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Arlington, WA. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Family members of those lost in the Oso mudslide along with survivors release lanterns into the sky at the memorial site on the 8 year anniversary of the mudslide on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

In Oso, lost neighbors always ‘in our hearts — never forgotten’

Eight years ago, 43 people were lost in the Oso slide. As they do every year, friends and family gathered in remembrance.

Family members of those lost in the Oso mudslide along with survivors release lanterns into the sky at the memorial site on the 8 year anniversary of the mudslide on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
(Snohomish County Parks & Recreation) A concept design for 26 memorial panels that will honor individuals and family groups killed in the slide.

Highway 530 slide memorial to be a ‘beautiful place’

The hope is to complete work at the site near Oso in time for a 10-year remembrance ceremony in 2024.

(Snohomish County Parks & Recreation) A concept design for 26 memorial panels that will honor individuals and family groups killed in the slide.
A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and his girlfriend Alisha Garvin as they and other families gather to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the Oso mudslide on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in Oso, Wa. Huestis' sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed in the mudslide.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Funding secured: Mudslide memorial will be a place to remember

Since 2014, families have mourned at a roadside shrine near Oso, but “we knew we needed something bigger.”

A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and his girlfriend Alisha Garvin as they and other families gather to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the Oso mudslide on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in Oso, Wa. Huestis' sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed in the mudslide.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
The massive mudslide that killed at least eight people and left dozens missing is shown in this aerial photo, Monday, March 24, 2014, near Arlington, Wash. The search for survivors grew Monday, raising fears that the death toll could climb far beyond the eight confirmed fatalities. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

7 years ago: ‘We waved hello, not realizing it was a goodbye’

Forty-three people perished in the 2014 Oso mudslide. On Monday, the community gathered again.

The massive mudslide that killed at least eight people and left dozens missing is shown in this aerial photo, Monday, March 24, 2014, near Arlington, Wash. The search for survivors grew Monday, raising fears that the death toll could climb far beyond the eight confirmed fatalities. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

President signs bill to boost mapping of landslide hazards

The bill appropriates $40 million annually for 3D mapping and disaster preparation.

Lidar imagery enables geologists to accurately identify landslides, such as the area around the Highway 530 Oso landslide. In this area, lidar data show prehistoric landslides in beige along the North Fork Stillaguamish River. The darker-shaded, outlined area is the extent of the March 2014 Oso landslide. (Daniel Coe/Washington State Department of Natural Resources)

New program may help pinpoint landslides before they happen

A bill pushing more funding toward 3D mapping and disaster preparation is on the president’s desk.

Lidar imagery enables geologists to accurately identify landslides, such as the area around the Highway 530 Oso landslide. In this area, lidar data show prehistoric landslides in beige along the North Fork Stillaguamish River. The darker-shaded, outlined area is the extent of the March 2014 Oso landslide. (Daniel Coe/Washington State Department of Natural Resources)
Six years later, Oso remembers landslide victims, survivors

Six years later, Oso remembers landslide victims, survivors

People gathered to reflect on the loss of 43 people. Work remains for raising money for a memorial.

Six years later, Oso remembers landslide victims, survivors
Gala to raise money for permanent Oso landslide memorial

Gala to raise money for permanent Oso landslide memorial

The PNW Paradise Ball and Auction will benefit a $6 million commemoration and education project.

Gala to raise money for permanent Oso landslide memorial
Memorial restores a piece of home 5 years after Oso slide

Memorial restores a piece of home 5 years after Oso slide

A Friday ceremony honored those who died and unveiled plans for a 4-acre park at the disaster site.

Memorial restores a piece of home 5 years after Oso slide