Funeral, memorial services begin for victims of Oso mudslide
SEATTLE – Two weeks after the Oso mudslide, at two towns on opposite ends of where the disaster occurred, funeral and memorial services began Saturday for some of the victims, a new phase of communal grieving that will extend throughout this month.
The services started while search efforts continued for other victims of the March 22 mudslide. Reflecting how long and difficult that search has been, the state Department of Agriculture deployed its Reserve Veterinary Corps to treat about 30 search dogs for cuts and hypothermia, among other ailments.
Along with three memorial services, the communities around the mudslide held a candlelight vigil and a fundraiser on Saturday.
The service for 69-year-old Linda McPherson, a former school board member and librarian, drew about 400 people to the Darrington Community Center, which was filled with daffodils and tulips in shades of yellow, orange and pink. Photos of McPherson, some salvaged from her family’s flattened home, were displayed next to a teddy bear, a set of canned preserves, and paintings she had made.
A mix of emergency workers, family, friends, former co-workers and people McPherson had mentored from all over Snohomish County shared stories after the service.
McPherson, a Darrington High School alumnus who raised a family on the property wiped out by the mudslide, had deep connections to hundreds of people living in the Oso and Darrington area. Her husband, injured in the slide, was rescued by neighbors and passers-by.
Services for Summer Raffo, 36, the fifth child in a Darrington family of 13 kids, and Joseph Miller, a former military medic, were also held Saturday, in Arlington.
“People all across the country have been affected by this disaster,” Eric McPherson said at his mother’s memorial service. “Almost everybody here has lost somebody – they were our neighbors, our friends and our family.”
As of Friday, 30 people have been confirmed dead and 13 are still missing after the mudslide. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office said it would not update that list until Monday.
A search for victims in the debris field continued over a soggy weekend, said incident command spokeswoman Dian Vervalen.
Today, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson are expected to survey the Oso mudslide site and meet with emergency responders and victims.
Over the next week, plans to mitigate potential downstream flooding are also expected to progress. In Arlington on Saturday night, live country music filled the Rhodes River Ranch arena while hundreds of people bid on more than 700 items up for auction.
After two weeks of watching his community rescue and recover friends and family, Johnny Green, of Arlington, thought it was time for people to take a break.
“Everyone has been working nonstop, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to take the night off and have fun.”
All the proceeds from the fundraiser will be given to the Oso Fire Association to distribute to those who need it.