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KUOW's Liz Jones interviews Gail and Ron Thompson at the Oso mudslide. It was the first time the couple had been at the site since the slide struck in March 2014.Six months after the deadliest landslide in U.S. history, the community of Oso, Wash., is still recovering.Forty-three people were killed when heavy rains triggered a huge section of hillside above the Steelhead Haven neighborhood to give way, sweeping away dozens of homes, covering the highway, and blocking the Stillaguamish River.While the physical work of clearing the debris is largely finished, the emotional healing has only just begun.KUOW 94.9 and KCTS 9 collaborated to produce this series of profiles of people most affected by the landslide  —  a woman rescued from the mud, a couple who lost their home, a first responder struggling with post-traumatic stress, and leaders, municipal and spiritual, still working tirelessly for their community.See our full story on Medium. See videos at KCTS or by clicking on the profiles below.Contributors: Carolyn Adolph, Ashley Ahearn, Katie Campbell, Posey Gruener, Aileen Imperial, Stacey Jenkins, Liz Jones, Patricia Murphy and Isolde Raftery. Editors: Jim Gates and Carol Smith.

We're Staying In Oso, But Every Day We Say Goodbye

Return to Oso
KCTS Photo/Aileen Imperial
Ron and Gail Thompson outside their new home in the Oso area.

Ron Thompson was known as the mayor of Steelhead Drive. He and his wife Gail Thompson lost their home and many neighbors in the Oso landslide. But they’ve decided to stay in Oso, and start over in a new home just four miles from the old one. They find hope in rebuilding their community while striving to find meaning in the disaster.

Read the Thompsons' story on Medium.

From KCTS: The Thompsons talk about their experience.

http://youtu.be/y5slX3pAr3A

KUOW 94.9 and KCTS 9collaborated to produce this series of profiles of people most affected by the landslidea woman rescued from the mud, a couple who lost their home, a first responder struggling with post-traumatic stress, and leaders, municipal and spiritual, still working tirelessly for their community.

Year started with KUOW: 2006