Panel to hold last meeting on safety recommendations after Oso mudslide

EVERETT — This past weekend was crunch time for members of an expert panel tasked with making safety recommendations after the Oso mudslide.

The Joint SR 530 Landslide Commission is scheduled to convene its final meeting Tuesday. That’s when they need to finalize the report they’ll deliver to Gov. Jay Inslee and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick by Dec. 15, when it is expected to be made public.

“We have a lot of fine-tuning to do,” Executive Director Kathy Lombardo said last week. “The focus for that meeting is really wrapping up our work and finishing the report.”

Each of the 12 commissioners received a draft copy to pore over during the holiday weekend.

At past meetings, they’ve divided their work into two general areas: the emergency response immediately after the slide and land-use practices to help keep people out of harm’s way of possible future slides.

Commissioners come from varying backgrounds — geology, planning, public safety, real estate, elected office and tribal government. They’re not out to establish fault, a subject that’s bound to come up in lawsuits filed by slide survivors and family members of the 43 people killed in the March 22 Oso slide.

The commission’s charter lays out a special duty to consult with six Stillaguamish Valley leaders: Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Chairwoman Norma Joseph, Stillaguamish Tribal Chairman Shawn Yanity, Tulalip Tribal Chairman Herman Williams Sr., Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin, Arlington Mayor Barbara Tolbert and Oso Fire Chief Willy Harper.

Lombardo expects the final report to be 20 to 30 pages, though that’s subject to change. Inslee’s staff already has seen an early draft, she said.

The commission has met nine times since August.

Commissioners have discussed the need to map areas of the state with the greatest potential geologic danger, including deep-seated landslides, debris flows, debris avalanches and potential impact areas from the runout.

To make that information available to anyone who needs it, they’ve contemplated a statewide clearinghouse of map data.

Since mapping will take a long time, commissioners have suggested forming a task force to follow that initiative over the long term.

To address landslide concerns and interpret the mapping, the state could require counties, or multi-county regions, to hire staff geologists.

On the emergency-response side, topics have included better funding for emergency-management departments throughout the state. That might require new taxes.

Commissioners also talked about doing a better job managing volunteers. Local loggers played a key role in searching the Oso slide zone, but their integration into the response was not smooth.

Increasing the use of satellite phones and high-frequency radios could aid communication.

The commission’s role is strictly advisory. It’s up to elected leaders to do something with the recommendations.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

Meeting in Everett

Final Joint SR 530 Landslide Commission Meeting

5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Everett School District administrative building, Port Gardner Room

3900 Broadway

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