Oso fundraising coming to an end with millions raised

OSO — Five months after a mudslide wiped out a neighborhood and cut the nearby town of Darrington off from the rest of the county, the massive fundraising effort that fueled much of the recovery effort to date is winding up.

The three largest relief organizations involved together have raised more than $9.1 million in response to the March 22 slide, which killed 43 people and destroyed or damaged 48 homes.

United Way of Snohomish County and the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation together have raised more than $4.5 million since the slide and have been closely coordinating how that money is being distributed.

While the two agencies have distributed about $3 million, nearly all of it has been earmarked for a specific purpose and will be distributed over the next two years.

The American Red Cross, meanwhile, also has raised $4.5 million since the slide and has distributed or otherwise earmarked $2 million of that, with the balance being kept in reserve.

The three agencies have different organizational structures and functions: United Way and the hospital foundation are locally based, while the Red Cross is a national organization with significant overhead to manage rapid response to disasters.

But all three have shifted their strategies to respond to the evolving needs of the communities affected by the mudslide, focusing more on long-term needs now.

On the ground, North Counties Family Services in Darrington and the Arlington Family Resource Project have received much of the financial support that gets passed directly to the people affected by the slide.

“What we will do is work with the family support centers to distribute those dollars over the next two years as the need arises,” said Dennis Smith, CEO of United Way of Snohomish County.

For example, the United Way set aside money to finance — through the Salvation Army — the hiring of a case manager to work at the two service centers for the next two years. That money comes from donations by corporate or institutional donors.

Even more money has been received from individual donors — about 73 percent of the total. That pool of money has been distributed to the family service centers or to other community organizations, such as the Oso Fireman’s Fund that provide direct aid to individuals and families.

Going forward, it’s hoped that at least 70 percent of the money raised will go toward such direct assistance, Smith said.

A similar system is in place at the Red Cross, said regional executive director Chuck Morrison, although the exact breakdown wasn’t immediately available.

“A certain percent is anticipated for individual needs, but everything else will be driven by what the community tells us,” Morrison said.

That guidance comes from case managers working in communities to assess individual needs, and it informs what is called the Unmet Needs Group — leaders from various charities and organizations who meet weekly to make decisions on funding.

Those case managers have been the key to making sure money is making it into the hands of those who need it, said Wyonne Perrault, the executive director of North Counties Family Services.

Some families, Perrault said, have identified needs that will require money over a longer term.

“We know that winter’s around the corner and we know some folks are not yet into the housing they want to be in,” she said.

Others might need help with ongoing medical concerns, she said.

“This is a marathon, not a race,” she said.

While donations to the larger organizations has slowed, United Way and the hospital foundation still have about $1.75 million in reserve, earmarked for the needs of individuals and families over the next couple of years.

So far, United Way and the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation have provided about $860,000 to the two family service centers. About 83 percent of that money has been passed on to families who lost someone or their primary home in the slide. The remaining 17 percent has helped those who were economically inconvenienced, but not devastated, by the slide. For example, some needed gas cards for help in covering the cost of a suddenly longer commute.

The amount provided by the Red Cross was not immediately available.

“We will assess each case going forward as needs are identified. We’re going to be there when they need that assistance,” Morrison said.

Chris Winters: 425- 374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_at_Herald.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.