(Image source: Getty Images / David Ryder)
BY JAY STRUBBERG, Newsy
It’s been seven months since a devastating mudslide killed 43 people and destroyed dozens of homes in the little town of Oso in Washington state.
And now several families are calling out their local and state governments for not doing enough to inform them of the potential dangers of living in that area.
According to The Seattle Times, ten families who lost loved ones in the disaster filed a lawsuit Friday against Snohomish County, Washington state and a forest landowner.
The families’ reportedly argue “the disaster was not natural but the result of a series of ‘actions and inactions’ by those parties.”
The lawsuit also claims the local and state governments knew the area was hazardous before the landslide occurred but didn’t release that information to homeowners. (Video via KIRO)
The Times says the same area in Oso was hit in 1967, with one official saying anyone who decided to build in the area should use “extreme caution.” And those type of warnings have come along more recently too.
ABC: “This 1999 report warned that the area had ‘the potential for a large catastrophic failure.’ In fact, this slide hit the same area in 2006.”
As for the safety of the Oso region now, KCPQ reports the mudslide might have affected the path of nearby rivers making flooding a top concern. And it’s worth noting Oso is reportedly just now entering its peak rainfall season.
This video includes images from Getty Images.