March 22 marks a solemn day in Washington history. It was 11 years ago when the Oso/SR 530 landslide occurred. Forty-three lives were lost in this tragic event, the deadliest landslide in American history.
It was a Saturday morning. The sun was peeking through the clouds, offering a pleasant early spring day. The North Fork of the Stillaguamish River was receding in the wake of three days of dry weather following a wet winter.
Then, just past 10:30 a.m. that morning, a large segment of a hillside gave way, surging across the valley just east of Oso in less than 60 seconds, sweeping away everything in its path — including the Steelhead neighborhood…