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OP Is updated with current news link.

Just found out that one of my relatives is one of those missing in this mudslide. He is on my wife's side of the family, so I don't know him personally, but it's still...




Could use some prayers about now from those inclined to do so. And give your loved ones an extra hug next time you see them...because I guess you just never know.

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The Atlantic is already pointing at it as an example of climate change.

Never waste a tragedy, do they?

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Multiple confirmed dead coming down the pipe. Still contacting NOK.

The Snohomish County Executive and  building department is screwed...

All the reports coming out about the Army Corps of Engineers studies and reports predicting something like this, and they were still issuing building permits? There are going to be huge lawsuits over this, and I really can't say I blame people for being upset--If you're going to impose the huge fees and bureaucratic systems they have, and then they fail to prevent something like this from being as destructive as this is? What the hell is the point? The average person thinks "Well, if they permitted this, it's safe to build here...". Ain't always true, that...

I'm not even a geotechnical type, and I'd have taken one look at that hillside and said "Nope... Not living there...". Add in the fact that the trained guys were telling the authorities that there were issues, and you really start to wonder what the hell they were thinking. Supposedly, they were building right along during the same 2006 period the first slump happened. Absolutely nuts.

Not to mention how many other sites there are with similar issues all over the West side of the Cascades. Most of the Puget Sound area is just glacial moraine that the last Ice Age just piled up every which-way, and none of it is very stable under the wrong set of circumstances. If they ever have a major earthquake come along during the part of the year when that terrain is fully sodden with moisture, God knows where the casualty numbers will wind up. Some of that stuff is basically just very stable quicksand, just waiting for the right conditions to turn into soup for a few minutes. And, then immediately go solid. If you've ever seen the shaker-table films where they simulate what that kind of soil does during an earthquake, you'll be out looking for a chunk of bedrock to build your house on, believe me.

I heard the SNOHO public works reeling about this.

There will be lawyers.  

Shitty.

But not a missing jet or a mass shooting so not big news.

Yep but it's the worst US landslide since St Helens.  

Just a bunch of working class American families, that isn't very exciting news.

As well there should be. My take on this kind of thing is that if they're going to intervene, and require the massive bureaucracy that they do for building these days, then when they fail to prevent something as predictable as this was, they ought to be sued out of existence. Seriously--What the hell are the people of Snohomish county getting for their money, if this sort of crap slides by the radar? There's "Act of God", and then there's something like this event, which was actually predicted by more than one party. And, they just kept right on issuing building permits...

In the final analysis, why bother with a building department? Or, any of that crap we spend so much money on. I'd be willing to bet that the relevant documents from the Army Corps of Engineers are a few mouse-clicks away, for anyone with the proper access. Why the hell didn't they bother to review that stuff?

And, meanwhile, up here in another county in that same state, we're required to spend huge money on geotechnical reviews for anything even remotely close to a slope like that. Go figure...

Damn, hate to hear about this. Hopefully they find all those that are missing.

24 dead.  

Updated OP

There's a lot more digging to go.

They have brought in some really well equipped National Guard units to help recover the victims.

As a result of the coming lawsuits, the state will go full retard studying every hillside above a road or a house in the whole state. I expect lots of mountain roads getting shut down and private property condemned due to "geological hazards".

Dang. Was just watching a story about that on the news. Horrible situation

You're probably right. But, when you look at the idiots building, these days... It might not be a bad idea to do some flippin' review. Up here, the idiocy started when they had a bunch of avalanches wipe out some houses up around Lake Wenatchee. Said houses were... Wait for it... Built under avalanche funnels. Gee, I wonder why they they got taken out? So, now you have to pay for geotechnical review, whenever you're building near a slope. Bloody marvelous, if you're a geotechnical engineer.

What's so damn irritating is that anyone with a lick of sense would have looked at those house sites, and said: "Hey... Ya know, there's probably a reason the old-timers didn't build there, even if the site's got a wonderful view of the valley...".

If people used a little sense, and did some basic research, a lot of this land would be left in trees or agriculture, and they'd never try to build houses on it. But, that's the most precious resource of the modern era--Common fucking sense. Something so rare that it really ought to be a damn superpower.

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Terrible situation up there.  Prayers for all involved.  OP....is this in your area?

No, but it's close.

Toddler rescued, but search for family continues

This is incredibly sad.  That little boy lost everything.

I'll be going down on Thursday to volunteer, all the guys at work are shipping in funds/goods for me to deliver. What a mess

Prayers out  for all affected . . .