Web: www.waDisasterNews.com and www.emd.wa.go
More than 200 people from local, state and federal agencies are supporting Snohomish County’s response to, and recovery from, the Oso Landslide. What follows are state agencies and other entitles and a brief description of support they’ve provided:
• Department of Natural Resources: Geologists continue to monitor slide stability.
• Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT): After exhaustive clean-up efforts, the Mountain Loop Highway reopened today to provide Darrington-area residents with a way to reach Arlington. WSDOT is working with Snohomish County on a long-term debris removal plan for State Route 530. A multi-agency team is forming to explore the potential for increasing the flow of the river through slide debris to drain upstream areas that are flooded.
• Washington State Patrol: Continuing to staff road blocks on State Route 530 and providing emergency workers access to the slide site.
• Washington Task Force 1/Urban Search and Rescue: Providing search teams.
• Search-and-rescue organizations from around the state: A total of 12 search dog teams joined the search March 25-26. Eight more dog teams were requested at the end of the day, March 26.
• Washington National Guard: A search and extraction team trained to operate in
environments such as confined spaces, chemical, biological, radiologic and nuclear hazard areas and fatality search and recovery team trained in identification and recovery are in Snohomish County. Two Blackhawk helicopters are assisting with search and recovery operations.
• Department of Fish & Wildlife: Transporting personnel and equipment into remote areas of the slide site; shuttling search dogs and SAR personnel into the debris field and upstream in jet boats; and providing security for the site and emergency workers.
• Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division: Providing
liaisons to the Snohomish County EOC; and recovery program specialists to assist with damage assessment and initial recovery operations. Working with FEMA officials to establish protocols for integrating newly arrived federal resources with state and local resources.
• Department of Licensing: Staff will be at the Darrington Community Center Thursday to help people who lost their driver’s license as a result of the slide to obtain a new one.
• Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS): 1) Identifed licensed child care
centers and homes with openings; 2) identifed licensed Adult Family Homes with vacancies to accept new residents; 3) provided demographic information about the number and needs of people in poverty impacted by the disaster.
• The Office of the Insurance Commissioner The Consumer Hotline of at 1-800-562-6900, providing the public with a good way to get quick, expert answers to insurance questions.
• Department of Health: Coordinating from its agency emergency operations center with other agencies to provide health and mental health services to the affected area.
• Department of Revenue: Providing tax breaks for business owners whose personal property or business were affected by the mudslide. Several different types of assistance are available for businesses and citizens affected by mudslides, flooding and other disasters.
See more at
http://dor.wa.gov/Content/GetAFormOrPublication/PublicationBySubject/TaxTopics/DisasterRelief.aspx
• Employment Security Department: Created a web page with information about
unemployment benefits for workers affected by the Oso Landslide at http://www.esd.wa.gov/newsandinformation/breakingnews/landslide-unemployment-help.php.
• Community Fund Drive (CFD): State government’s workplace giving program for state and higher education employees who want to give to the charity of their choice has set up a Mudslide Relief Campaign which has already raised $28,000. For information, go to http://www.cfd.wa.gov/cfd/Mudslide-Relief-Campaign.aspx.
As a result of the federal Emergency Declaration request by Gov. Inslee, the following federal assets arrived in Snohomish County yesterday, March 25:
• Regional and National Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs)
• Incident Support Team (IST)
• Technical program specialists
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (providing debris technical assistance as requested by FEMA.)
Coordinating and facilitating the resources of state government, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at Camp Murray continues at a Phase III activation level in response to the Oso Landslide. Local EOCs currently activated are the Snohomish County EOC in Everett, Arlington EOC
and Darrington EOC. Snohomish County declared a state of emergency on March 22, followed by Gov. Inslee’s proclamation of emergency late that night.
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