Humans just don’t learn. A 2004 decision by Snohomish County could have saved lives and dollars in Oso. They new the hillside was unsafe. The hill had been having minor slides years before. Some as recently as 2006.
This is something that has drove me crazy for years. Why do we build where there has been a history of natural disasters that could occur again.
I’m not saying there aren’t risks where ever you live. I live on the Olympic Peninsula. Chances are I’m going to feel an earthquake. Though, any Volcanic eruption probably won’t effect me to a great extent. In 1980, Mt. St. Helens blew. My parents were living in the same town I am now. They felt it, but never got the ash cloud. The winds go a different direction. All the volcanic debris went to Eastern Washington, while those of us in the west got pretty much nothing. The other volcanoes here have either been dormant for so long we don’t consider them a threat or they wouldn’t effect me if they did erupt. None of these are on the Olympic Peninsula.
I’m safe from the foreseen. Which is the most we possibly can do. However, if there is a threat like, in Oso, it’s time to go.
To be fair, none of the victims of the landslide were alerted to this possibility. My family members were only a few miles away from Oso on that day. For all I new my Brother and Father could have been driving through there at the time. So, we should ask why the information didn’t trickle down to the people.
I’m sure many would leave and some would not. This would have been there decision. To hide information, in this case, is similar to manslaughter. Whether it was done willfully or not, someone didn’t tell those poor people what they were up against and so many lost their lives.
Works Consulted:
County Decision: http://tinyurl.com/p2qk23e
Previous Landslides: http://tinyurl.com/q9l5cqp
Mt. St. Helens: http://tinyurl.com/6sjgn
Volcanos in Washington: http://tinyurl.com/d2u448w
Controversial Comment 