Death toll climbs to 24 following Oso mudslide

• The medical examiner’s office has released its list of 18 victims.
• Official death toll rises to 24.
• Number of missing drops to 22; Snohomish County releases list of missing.
• Seattle Seahawks and Sounders meet privately with Darrington citizens Monday afternoon.
• Oso disaster victims get special unemployment-claims phone line.

The death toll has risen to 24 in the Oso mudslide, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Monday, while the number of missing has dropped to 22.

The medical examiner’s office has now officially identified 18 of the victims, with six still unidentified.

The remains of three more victims were discovered Monday.

Steve Harris, of Incident Management Team 4, said on Monday morning that crews are making four to six finds every day on the east side alone, but some are very difficult to identify.

“That’s why we have professionals with the medical examiners office to make those positive identifications,” explained Harris.

The size of the debris field is smaller than initially thought, officials said. After review and analysis, geologists have determined it is about 300 acres – just under half the size of an earlier projection of 1 square mile.

Monday’s plan

Harris said crews continued work on a makeshift road that links one side of the debris field to the other, significantly aiding the recovery operation.

He said they have experts on hand who are helping them understand how the mudslide moved so they can better identify areas where it’s likely there may be victims and belongings.

“We’re going over some of the periphery of the slide to check and make sure there aren’t areas that were overlooked in the initial search,” he said.

There is a tremendous amount of personal effects on the debris field, according to Harris. He said they’re collecting and processing them with the help of volunteers.

Harris said there is still a lot of work to be done at the site and the mud is up to 75 feet deep in some places.

“It’s a lot of material to sift through. There’s a lot of work to do.”

What happens to the debris they’ve searched through? Harris explained the excavators move things around and store searched-through debris in an area that has already been sifted through. But at some point, they may need to bring in trucks to haul the debris out to somewhere safe.

Dangerous conditions

The rains that have bedeviled rescuers working to find more victims in the debris field are expected to ease this week, but searchers faced other challenges at the site, like household chemicals and sewage.

Crews have also been working to clear mud and debris from the highway, leaving piles of gooey muck, splintered wood and housing insulation on the sides of the road.

Searchers have had to contend with treacherous conditions, including septic tanks, gasoline and propane containers. When rescuers and dogs leave the site, they are hosed off by hazardous materials crews.

“We’re worried about dysentery, we’re worried about tetanus, we’re worried about contamination,” said Lt. Richard Burke of the Bellevue Fire Department, an on-site spokesman. “The last thing we want to do is take any of these contaminants out of here and take them into town.”

Harris said crews are required to be decontaminated before they leave the scene. A military decontamination unit is on site.

Unemployment assistance

The Employment Security Department has activated a special unemployment-benefits phone line for people affected by the Oso landslide.

The toll-free number is 855-636-5610, option 1.

This phone line is intended for anyone who became unemployed as a result of the Oso disaster.
It’s also for anyone who already had an active unemployment claim, but is now unable to look for work because of the disaster (such as job seekers stranded in Darrington), or as unable to file a weekly claim last week due to the disaster. The claims agents can reopen and backdate claims for people who didn’t have access to a phone or Internet.

Employment Security also has a special web page with additional information about unemployment benefits related to the Oso disaster.

Federal aid

Gov. Jay Inslee is asking President Barack Obama for a major disaster declaration in Snohomish County to make programs available to help individuals, households and businesses impacted by the massive Oso mudslide on March 22.

The request made Monday asks for access to disaster housing, disaster grants, disaster-related unemployment insurance and crisis counseling programs for those in Snohomish County and to the Stillaguamish, Sauk-Suiattle and Tulalip Indian tribes.

In the letter, the governor said that at least 25 homes were destroyed in the slide, each averaging about $165,000 and many of the owners didn’t have mortgage insurance.

In addition, the governor requested the U.S. Small Business Administration to make its disaster loan program available.

The forecast

The slide dammed up the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, causing water to pool up on the east side. The river cut a new channel through the mud, but the rain has raised the water level nearly a foot, said Kris Rietmann, a spokeswoman for the team working on the eastern portion of the slide.

In at least one place, the water level got so high that it covered areas that have already been searched, said Tim Pierce, leader of Washington Task Force 1, a search-and-rescue team.

Searchers should get some relief soon. Conditions improved Sunday, and mainly dry weather is forecast Monday through Wednesday in western Washington.

“That’s good news for our crews in the field, who have been working in extremely wet conditions,” Biermann said.

Welcome distraction

The Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC visited Darrington Monday afternoon, where they staged clinics with local kids in an effort to bring some much needed relief to the town north of Oso.

Said the Seahawks in a statement:

“We are here to offer support an encouragement to this community as privately as possible. It is our privilege to come alongside these residents to provide a brief distraction free of questions and cameras. We urge the 12s to join us and give to the relief effort. Please donate at redcross.org.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.