I've been away for a few days (presenting at a poster session at the Northeast meeting of the Geological Society of America), but when I've had the chance, I've been following the story. One of my career interests is in natural hazards--specifically mass wasting (which includes landslides). I've been in a room full of geologists in various stages of intoxication, laughing, recounting stories, and ignoring the TV in the background. But when anything about this came on the news, the room would go quiet and all eyes would fixate on the story.
Seeing photographs and video of the area is sobering. I've seen examples of this in miniature, I've studied it in the abstract with tidy diagrams, and I've read about massive examples that have happened in the distant past. But this is in human time, on a human scale, and with human faces of the grieving and the missing. There is nothing abstract about this. There are no tidy diagrams that can show the gravity of the event. I could talk for hours about permeability of soils, cohesiveness of clay, water saturation, and angle of repose. But for this, I have no words.
Now that I've finally had a chance to read your email. I can add one more human face to the grieving. Unlike the others, this one is known to me; it is the face of a friend. You have my deepest sympathy.
Rick
On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 9:52 AM, Kathy Recckia <krecckia@gmail.com> wrote:
I am so sorry, Maida. There are no words.Jeez...I looked at the pictures and it's so devastating. I can't begin to imagine the feelings around it. I can only say that I am so sorry that it happened.I will send whatever energy I can your way and theirs. I noticed this link in one of the stories that says where to send money or other forms of aid, in case anyone is looking to do that. There's an easy text option from your phone as well.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140324/NEWS01/140329484--On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 6:56 AM, Jenny <ladybebba@hotmail.com> wrote:I can’t imagine what you must be going through.Thinking of you and yours.Jenny UOn 24 Mar 2014, at 22:14, Maida 'Mac' Combs <maida.mac@gmail.com> wrote:I haven't posted on mailing lists because I have been thinking far too hard about what's going on and refreshing constantly online. I have been talking about this on Facebook though, and want to pull in more people who might pray for the people of my hometown(s), if you are so inclined. Yes, I am agnostic. That doesn't mean that I can't hope and pray.Some of you, even outside the country, may have heard of the "Oso Mudslide" on State Road 530 Saturday morning, in Washington State. Oso is not actually a town, just a wide spot in the road. The slide happened between Arlington, where I graduated from high school, and Darrington, where I grew up and my family lives. It was between mile marker 37 and 38. I lived at MP39 for years in my 20s. There is over a square mile under mud and debris, some places 20 or maybe even 50 feet deep.Follow some of the links there. The pictures are devastating. I can't imagine the reality.There is currently a state geologist speaking on the situation and some other analysis. I can post that later for the geological geeks, like Rick.For those geographically inclined, here is a map of the slide:The former town librarian, a well-loved and known figure and mother of a classmate, has already been announced to be among the deceased. She was the only person that I knew for certain before Saturday would be in the area.When I went to bed last night, the death toll was 8 dead and 18-23 missing. Today, the county has finally compiled lists of those reported missing. They have *108* reports of individuals that are unaccounted for. Some of those are very vague and the number will drop, likely drastically, as those unaccounted check in, but it's a very scary situation.Various members of my family are on the frontline, as well as helping out at the fire department and the community center in Darrington.As I posted on Facebook before this morning's announcement:Those of you who pray, please pray for the families of those missing from Arlington and Darrington in the SR530 mudslide.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023211644_mudsliderelativesxml.html
A childhood friend's father is missing and it is known that he was on Steelhead Drive, the main area affected. My friend Joe's daughter is missing, along with her fiance and maternal grandparents. Their house was in the direct path of the worst part of the slide.My heart's breaking.--
Maida 'Mac/Lys' Combs
"I think maybe we started to forget when we stopped looking up. Instead of remembering there was a world of sky up there above our heads, we'd sit on the ground and look at our feet."
- Jack Daw in Charles de Lint's Someplace to be Flying--
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Rick Le Mon
straif@gmail.com
Os byddi di'n edrych yn ofalus, mae pob creigiau'n hardd.
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