Generosity Near and Far / Two Sides, One Goal

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GENEROSITY NEAR AND FAR Help in Many Forms Within hours of the slide, the extended local community had sprung into action, aiding responders and survivors, as well as anxious family, friends, and neighbors of the missing. Some served up meals at the Darrington Community Center or Smokey Point Community Church. Others provided transportation, water, fuel, supplies, search dogs, and even counseling. As response operations continued, so did the support. High school students packed lunches for searchers, adding a handwritten note of thanks or encouragement. The United Way of Snohomish County, Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation, and the American Red Cross raised several million dollars to aid survivors and their communities. Donations of money and goods came from across the U.S. and even abroad. Scott Williams The Herald, Genna Martin, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections The Oso Fire Station received donated goods from across the U.S. People sent diapers, sleeping bags, dog food, hay, shovels, rakes, boots, rain gear, food, water, and even shelves for storing the donations. A request for duct tape—used by searchers to protect footwear and clothing against mud— resulted in the delivery of an entire truck's worth of tape. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren The nearby City of Arlington held a candlelight vigil for mudslide victims on March 25. "We did the jobs that we knew how to do." — DAN RANKIN Mayor of Darrington "Here, we help people out." — BILLIE MOORE Darrington resident [Photo: a portable readerboard sign with movable letters reading "THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS & SUPPORT"] Scott Williams --- TWO SIDES, ONE GOAL Uniting the Rescue Effort As first responders arrived, they encountered a major hurdle: the debris from the slide covered a mile of SR 530, up to 20-feet deep. Rescuers on one side could not see rescuers on the other. The landslide cut communications to the east when it severed the fiber cable line which serves communities all the way to the Town of Darrington. Reestablishing connection through the valley was essential. In just three days, local crews transformed a gravel utility road into a route for emergency workers. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and County Public Works cleared and opened the seasonal Mountain Loop Highway. Fully repairing SR 530 required clearing 90,000 cubic yards of debris and rebuilding the highway 10 to 20 feet higher in some places. This enormous effort took six months. [UNVERIFIABLE: leading word(s) - glare] State Dept of Transportation By May 31, 2014, WSDOT, FEMA, and Snohomish County had removed enough mud and debris from SR 530 to open one lane. And by the end of that September, the newly reconstructed road permanently reopened. [UNVERIFIABLE: photo credit, white type over sunlit gravel - illegible] Workers scrambled to make a Seattle City Light utility access road usable for rescue vehicles to detour around the slide debris and access the other side. "People showed up offering help and at times there were more than 1,000 on site from various agencies across the state. We were all drawn to a common goal — to help those in need." — STEVE THOMSEN Snohomish County Public Works Director AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

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