ARLINGTON—Snohomish County executive, dignitaries across the region, first responders including the Washington State Patrol and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, community members, and affected family members gathered together in Arlington on Friday, March 22, to recognize the 10-year anniversary of the Oso mudslide which claimed the lives of 43 people on March 22, 2014, when an unstable hill collapsed sending mud and debris across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.
“The Oso Slide Memorial provides a permanent space for us to honor and remember the lives lost, the first responders, and the whole Oso community,” Snohomish County Councilman Nate Nehring told the Lynnwood Times. “Today’s ceremony was a solemn one and was a great opportunity for community members to come together to support one another.”
Legislative District Representatives Carolyn Eslick (R-Sultan) and Sam Low (R-Lake Stevens) issued the following statement:
“We were deeply moved today as we witnessed the dedication of the Oso Slide Memorial, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the devastating Oso landslide. Seeing the site, talking to those who were impacted, learning more about those we lost, and experiencing the unveiling of the memorial are things we’ll never forget.
“In the presence of families, our incredible first responders, and all who came to pay their respects, we mourned and remembered the 43 individuals we lost. Yet, amidst our sorrow, we continue to find solace in tales of heroism and resilience and the enduring spirit that emerged from the depths of tragedy.
“This memorial will stand forever, not only as a tribute to those who lost their lives, but as a testament to the astounding courage and fortitude that defined the response of our community. May it serve as a reminder of the fragility of life, the strength of community, and the enduring power of compassion.
“We will forever honor the lives lost, support the survivors, and cherish the bonds forged in the darkest of hours. We will forever be Oso Strong.”
The mudslide covered an area of 1,500 feet long and deposited debris 30 to 70 feet deep. Its overall size was 270 million cubic feet. It was the single deadliest landslide in United States history, destroying 49 homes when it engulfed the community surrounding Steelhead Haven.
First Responders and community members alike immediately responded, bringing excavation equipment and shovels to assist in the search and rescue effort, some even dug through the debris with their hands. More than 900 local, state, tribal and federal responders worked along trained, and untrained, volunteers, families, and neighbors, working alongside one another in harsh weather conditions.
The search continued until July 22 when the last of the 43 victims were recovered. Even then the longstanding effects of the mudslide were devastating, with widespread loss of personal property, the inability to commute to work, and business losing access to customers, supplies, and employees.
“On the anniversary of the Oso landslide, we honor the 43 people whose lives were suddenly and tragically cut short 10 years ago today. We also renew our gratitude to the first responders — those who searched for and comforted survivors, and those who restored services to areas cut off by the landslide,” Senator Maria Cantwell issued in a statement. “Being there in the aftermath with the community is something I will never forget. This is a disaster we never want to see repeated, which is why I worked with Rep. DelBene to pass a law that improves our ability to recognize and prepare for catastrophic landslide risks, and am now working with Senator Murkowski to renew and expand that program.”
Last month, Sen. Cantwell joined U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing a bill to reauthorize and expand the National Landslide Preparedness Act for 10 years, through Fiscal Year 2034. This bipartisan legislation aims to help save lives and improve natural disaster emergency preparedness by targeting key gaps in science and mapping critical to understanding landslide hazards.
Friday’s event opened up with a singing of the National Anthem before Dayn Brunner took the podium to share some words. Brunner’s sister was one of the lives claimed by the Oso Mudslide back in 2014. Since then, Brunner made a personal pledge to bring a memorial to the mudslide site, roping in Snohomish County Parks
Brunner’s sister Summer was an avid lover of horses and an extremely hard worker. He described her as a “tom boy” who worked in sawmills and “maybe wore makeup four times her entire life.”
Summer was on her way to shoe a horse when the landslide hit around 10:30 a.m. that morning but, unfortunately, never made it to her destination. Brunner heard about the slide from his mother, who was down in Tacoma at the time, who called his cell phone to ask what had “happened to the highway.” He immediately tried to phone the local fire department to figure out what had happened.
For whatever reason Brunner’s mother knew that Summer was in the landslide. Brunner explained that the two of them, Summer and their mother, were extremely close and the only time he ever saw them apart was a couple of months after Summer got married. He asked what he wanted her to do and his mother said, “go find your sister.” After five days of searching, through mud up to his neck, he did – still sitting in her car with her hands on the steering wheel.
“It was probably the toughest thing I ever had to do as a son, and as a big brother,” said Brunner. “But I made a promise to my mom that I would dig her out and bring her home so she could hold her one last time, so that’s what I did.”
Tom Pszonka, retired Sergeant with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, had four children; Jesse, Katie, Matthew, and Ryan, as well as six grandchildren. That was up until March 22, 2014 when his, and his family’s, lives changed forever. That day Pszonka lost his daughter Katie, her husband Shane, Shane’s parents Lou and Judy, his six-year-old grandson Hunter and his 4-year-old grandson Wyatt.
“The reach of this slide goes beyond 43 souls lost. Family members, extended family members, people who worked there. It goes all over the world,” said Pszonka.
Pszonka mentioned that, during the memorial service for his lost family members, he received wreaths from Sandyhook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, who had just lost 20 children and six faculty members during the well-documented shooting back in 2012.
“That school took time to share our grief and to try and help us individuals, those who were lost in the communities around us,” said Pszonka.
Eleven survivors from the incident were pulled from the debris that day, a few of which were in attendance at Friday’s event.
“We will never forget our life in Steelhead Drive,” Gail Thompson, Oso Mudslide survivor said. “I fell like the whole world prayed and paid for the event that happened at Steelhead Drive and beyond.”
The unveiling of the permanent memorial, to honor the lives lost, the survivors, and first responders, during the 2014 Oso mudslide, was developed through a collaborative process.
Parks and the Committee worked with MIG/Portico consultants, who specialize in public memorials to draft the conceptual plan, and the plan was brought before the families, responders and community members for feedback and the concept was refined through design from architects, civil engineers, landscape architects, designers, and scientists.
The intent of the Memorial is to pay tribute to the lost, the survivors, the response, the communities, healing and resilience of nature. The total cost of the memorial was about $6 million.
The memorial sits upon the Miller Shingle Trailhead at 21021 SR 530, Arlington 98223.
FEATURED IMAGE: Courtesy of Snohomish County Councilman Nate Nehring
ARTICLE UPDATES: 6:28 p.m., March 22, 2024, with joint statement from Representatives Carolyn Eslick (R-Sultan) and Sam Low (R-Lake Stevens).
Author: Kienan Briscoe
