Decade after Oso, Congress must not ignore landslide risk

Four years ago, Congress passed legislation to help communities prepare for massive landslides like the one that claimed 43 lives near Oso and Darrington in Snohomish County a decade ago. It’s lifesaving assistance and preparation, but it’s scheduled to expire this fall. Congress shouldn’t let that happen.

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Democrat who fought for several years for passage of the National Landslide Preparedness Act, is again calling attention to the risk that landslides pose to Washington and to communities across the nation. Each year, landslides kill 20 to 50 people and cause up to $3.2 billion in damage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Research Council.

DelBene, whose 1st Congressional District at the time included the communities hit by the landslide, still struggles to comprehend the devastation she saw on a helicopter tour with Gov. Jay Inslee immediately after the tragedy. “It was massive,” she said in a speech on the House floor recently. “You couldn’t describe it to people.”

Her original legislation, which passed with bipartisan support, has enhanced research and emergency preparedness. The measure expanded early warning systems, strengthened monitoring of stormwater drainage, and assisted USGS in improving data collection and identification of landslide threats through advanced technology.

Collectively, these efforts have reduced the potential for a repeat of the 2014 tragedy, when an entire community was erased within minutes. “That day forever changed the people of Oso, Darrington, Arlington, and the Stillaguamish and Sauk-Suiattle Tribes, and they are still living with its scars today,” DelBene said.

DelBene’s co-sponsors on the reauthorization bill include Reps. Kim Schrier, D-Sammamish; Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez, D-Stevenson; Marilyn Strickland, D-Tacoma; Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor; Adam Smith, D-Bellevue; Rick Larsen, D-Everett; Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R- Spokane; and Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside. Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski are co-sponsors in the Senate.

Reauthorizing the National Landslide Preparedness Act is an opportunity for Congress to unite in support of an effective program that can minimize the loss of life and economic damage. With climate change increasing the severity of storms, lawmakers should view this vote as a matter of urgency. They owe that much to the survivors of the Oso landslide.