California Search Teams Headed To Deadly Washington Mudslide Disaster
SACRAMENTO (KCBS) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has directed the California Office of Emergency Services to deploy search and rescue specialists to assist in the response and recovery efforts at the scene of the devastating mudslide in Washington State.
California has one of the best trained urban search teams in America, ready to face earthquakes and forest fires, and now they're headed to the scene.
At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 18 specialists have been sent to Arlington, Washington.
The mudslide happened in Oso, Washington— about an hour north of Seattle, and has buried two towns and is a square mile in size. In some places the muck and debris is 10 to 15 feet deep.
Gov. Brown Sends 18 Emergency Specialists To Washington Mudslide At FEMA's Request
"These teams could be searching for personnel or they could be searching and doing logistics work and using heavy machinery and getting into debris piles," said Brad Alexander with Cal OES.
The search teams come from a number of cities, including Sacramento, where their city's fire chief said a massive mudslide like this required an all hands-on-deck approach.
