Governor Inslee on mudslide search effort: Mother Nature has the final card
Mar 25, 2014, 6:38 AM | Updated: 6:43 am
Governor Jay Inslee toured the debris field again late Monday and attended a community meeting in Darrington as a race against time and the elements continued in the mud of Snohomish County.
Fourteen people are dead, and there are reports of 176 people missing in the massive mudslide between Arlington and Darrington.
The National Guard is joining the desperate search and rescue efforts. So are more search teams that have special capabilities. Lights have been added to the debris field so searching can continue around the clock.
“I know these families are extremely anxious to get every ounce of resources possible. We intend to do that with the extent of any human capability,” Governor Inslee said late Monday night. “As we said, we’re bringing in additional resources in that regard – that should help. But these are going to be tough days for all of us, for these families, and the state of Washington.”
There is hope that people will still be found alive, though most people at the command center know that’s not likely, on the fourth day of rescue efforts.
Rescue workers had to be pulled back from the debris field several times on Monday because there were fears the mud was still moving.
The governor said the conditions are beyond extreme in the mix of mud, fallen trees and obliterated homes.
“We have to got to understand that there are some challenges getting into this area. There is a slurry essentially that is not thick enough to walk on but too thick to run a boat through these areas,” explained Inslee.
He said those are conditions are only going to get worse with the rain that’s expected over the next few days.
“We have to understand that Mother Nature has the final card,” Inslee said. “I can tell you these rescue personal and volunteers are peddle to the metal, they want to get in there and they are getting in there, to the extent that is humanly possible.”
The governor said everyone is committed to finding any survivors, despite the long odds.
“We’ve got a community here in Darrington that is really unified. We’ve got a state and county effort that is 100 percent committed to the rescue of these folks and making sure these families have everything that they need,” said Inslee. “Our state is committed to that.”
Volunteer searchers are being signed up Tuesday morning in Darrington to help in the efforts.
They know they are racing against time, and the odds are not in their favor.
