The March 22 mudslide that happened in the Cascade foothills of Washington state continues to devastate. After a heavy rain, the hillside collapsed above Stillaguamish River. It has recently been reported that the official death count has risen to 37 after search representatives located another person amidst the mud and debris. Tragically, nobody has been pulled alive from the rubble since the initial search and rescue efforts.

According to spokesman Lars Erickson the damage is immeasurable. “We don’t know how extensive the damage is. There are a lot of variables; timing could easily change significantly. We are working to get permission from property owners of that road to find a way to have some kind of limited local access to ease detour strains on communities there,” he said.

The mudslide impacted roughly a mile of state Highway 530, which affects the direct route between the town of Darrington (that has a population of 1,300) and Interstate 5. According to representatives from the Department of Transportation, the process of clearing mud and other debris from the area could take up to three months.

The @space_needle flag is at half staff. The governor requested this of all flags in honor of the mudslide victims. pic.twitter.com/CMFixY5Dfq

— Dan Lewis (@DanLewisNews) April 15, 2014

Search and rescue efforts continue as there are still seven people presently classified as missing. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oso sometime next week to meet with survivors, family members who have lost loved ones, and search-and-rescue workers who have been devoted to recovery efforts. Survivors of the horrific event have been devoted to personal recovery efforts while still remembering those who lost their lives due to the tragedy.

Mother pulled from Washington mudslide clutching infant son describes her traumatic ordeal: http://t.co/2grCYeRZd6 pic.twitter.com/wPySPk5IaH

— CTV News (@CTVNews) April 10, 2014

Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy Of SPC Matthew Sissel