SEATTLE — One month after the landslide near Oso that killed at least 35 people, President Barack Obama is planning to survey the destruction firsthand.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that Obama will travel on April 22 to the site of the mammoth slide that closed state Highway 530 and destroyed dozens of homes, prompting a major disaster declaration from the White House.
The president is scheduled to meet with families of the dead and missing, first responders and recovery workers, Inslee said.
“From the earliest days following the slide, the president has closely monitored events in the area, and shown his concerns for the victims and their families,” Inslee said in a statement announcing the visit. “He and his team have been important partners in the response effort, and I believe this visit will strengthen those ties as we face the tough work ahead.”
The Snohomish County medical examiner’s office said one more person has been added to the list of people killed in the mudslide.
Authorities said Tuesday afternoon that at least 35 people have died, but officials are still working to identify four of them.
Eleven people remain on the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s list of missing people.
U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both Democrats, expressed gratitude Tuesday for the president’s upcoming visit and for the federal government’s support in the form of disaster assistance and an extension of the April 15 tax filing deadline for those affected by the slide.
“We are confident that President Obama will see what we have seen,” the senators wrote in a joint statement, “the tremendous resolve and determination of the people of Oso, Darrington and Arlington in the face of tragedy.”
Among the difficult issues facing the county and the small towns along the Stillaguamish River is whether it will be possible to rebuild the demolished town of Oso, which had a population of about 200 when the hillside came crashing down on it 2 1/2 weeks ago. There are also questions surrounding how much longer searchers will continue to look for the remains of the 11 people still listed as missing.
