Oso landslide memorial: A community anchored in hope

Oso Memorial unveiled 10 years after tragedy

Today, marks 10 years since the Oso Landslide. And today, right beneath the scar left by that tragic event, a memorial stands — a testament to dedication and a $5 million investment.

OSO, Wash. - It's been a decade since a wall of mud and debris engulfed the Steelhead Haven subdivision in Oso, claiming 43 lives in the worst landslide in U.S. history.

Today, right beneath the scar left by that tragic event, a memorial stands — a testament to dedication and a $5 million investment. Here, in the shadow of the slide scar, the memorial to the victims of this mass casualty has finally been completed.

Walking through the memorial you'll see large copper statues. Each is unique, each honoring one of the 43 victims claimed by this tragedy.

Governor Jay Inslee attended the dedication ceremony Friday, cautioning that climate change increases the risk of another disaster like this.

"What we have learned is there are risks in our state," said Governor Jay Inslee. "We are a geologically active state, and unfortunately, we are going to face more of these."

In the immediate aftermath of the landslide, the community rallied. Using excavators and helicopters, crews rescued 11 people. Those who made it out alive recall loved ones slipping through their fingers.

"As I reached for her, and she reached for me … the slide hit, and she disappeared," one survivor said.

Survivors who lost everything, who spent months in the hospital, stepped up to the mic Friday to share their stories.

"Why, why did I live and so many of my good neighbors die?" one survivor said.

The disaster zone, with mud and debris as deep as 70 feet, was so powerful it ripped the pants right off a young child, recovered from the rubble. And it was so large you could fit more than 100 football fields inside it.

Search efforts turned from days into weeks and then into months, eventually taking four months before all the victims were found.

That next fall, 43 cedar trees were planted to commemorate the 43 lives lost. They've yet to grow tall, but one day, those evergreens will tower above this place of reflection.

First responders tell FOX 13 Seattle that at times, the tragedy feels so distant, it's almost as if 100 years have passed. But those images, that loss, is still so fresh in their brains. It also feels like it was just yesterday.

"Just remember, this is our town, these are our people, and when the search is over, the funerals are held, and you go home, we will remain here in our town forever changed," a woman said at today's tribute.

Ten years later, the completion of this memorial serves as a poignant reminder of the lives lost and the resilience of the community. As visitors walk among the statues and the towering pillar at the center of the memorial, they are reminded of the fragility of life and the strength found in unity. From the haunting echoes of "Amazing Grace" to the whispers of hope in the wind, the Oso landslide will forever be etched in the hearts of those who remember.