Death toll reaches 33; community gathers in prayer as crews continue Oso mudslide search
Apr 7, 2014, 5:56 AM | Updated: 6:52 pm
- The medical examiner raised the mudslide death toll to 33. So far, 30 victims have been identified and 12 remain missing. Those numbers have no changed since Monday morning.
Hundreds gathered over the weekend to remember victims of the Oso mudslide.
Several hundred people gathered Friday night for an interdenominational prayer service honoring the victims, families and rescuers affected by the deadly March 22 mudslide in Oso.
Hanging at the front of the Haller Middle School gym where the service took place was a large banner that simply said “Together.”
Clergy involved in planning the Arlington event wanted to reflect the connection among neighbors not only in Oso but in nearby Arlington and Darrington.
For the resilient community, memorial services for lost loved ones started this weekend, too.
Summer Raffo died when the slide hit her car on State Route 530. Her family and friends celebrated her life Saturday in Arlington.
In Darrington, friends and family paid tribute to Linda McPherson who died when her home was destroyed by the slide. Linda was the town librarian for 28 years, until she retired three years ago.
Meanwhile, local and federal crews continued to comb the debris of the March 22 slide hoping to find more victims.
So far, the death toll has risen to 33, 30 of whom have been identified. Twelve are still missing.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson joined Washington Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene in touring clean up and recovery efforts at the mudslide site on Sunday.
Johnson urged anyone affected by the slide to apply for FEMA aid. Last Wednesday, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster to help state, tribal, and local recovery efforts.
The conditions of slide victims that were hospitalized continue to improve. On Saturday, a 58-year-old man was discharged from Harborview Medical Center in satisfactory condition. He was transferred to another facility for inpatient rehabilitation care.
Meanwhile, Amanda Skorjanc remains in satisfactory condition, while both the 37-year-old and 81-year-old men are in serious and improving condition in intensive care.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
