Oso

There was a term that emerged during the rescue effort: 'Oso Strong'.

It's a familiar phrase after a tragedy, but it felt especially poignant after the landslide. The people of Oso and Darrington are known for their can-do attitude.

On this final episode, Jake Whittenberg shows how the term 'Oso Strong' still echoes throughout the Stillaguamish River Valley.

What caused the Oso landslide? Jake Whittenberg speaks with University of Washington Geomorphology Professor David Montgomery, who was part of the team that produced a post-incident report, about the science behind the incident.

A local firefighter who lost his wife in the slide also shares how he thinks more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

Several days after the landslide, the death toll was growing, and the severity of the situation was setting in. At one point, first responders said they were searching for as many as 200 missing people.

In this episode, Jake Whittenberg talks to local officials and emergency managers, who recall what it was like to navigate the response and how the community pulled together.

When a helicopter team first responded to the landslide, it took their breath away. All they could see was mud, trees and debris where 20 homes previously stood. "I cannot see Steelhead Drive at this point."

Rescuers approaching from either side of the slide were more than a mile apart, meaning the slide is much bigger than anyone realized.

On the ground, first responders recalled rescuing Robin Youngblood and her friend Jetty Dooper, who were clinging to the unattached roof of Youngblood’s mobile home, which had washed away in a tidal wave of mud.

In episode two, Jake Whittenberg the stories of Youngblood, rescuers and a sheriff's office helicopter team, who thankfully had a training mission planned for that day.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in the close-knit community of Oso, Washington when the hillside gave way.

The community had seen a record-breaking start to the year with twice the average rainfall falling in February and March. But on March 22, 2014, spring was in the air.

At 10:37 a.m., a landslide changed that community forever. In this episode, KING 5's Jake Whittenberg talks to rescuers and survivors about how that day unfolded.

"I'm on..highway 530. There are people yelling for help." "There is a house on 530 and a big slide and it is covering the road." On March 22, 2014, at 10:37 a.m. a massive landslide wiped out a neighborhood near the town of Oso. It was a catastrophic event that killed 43 people. A decade later, KING 5 reports on what happened then and the impact still felt today. Hosted by Jake Whittenberg. Episodes 1 through 5 will drop daily starting March 18, 2024.