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Five years ago today, on March 22, 2014, it was a beautiful sunny day. Many in the Steelhead Haven neighborhood just off SR 530 in the small community of Oso were enjoying that Saturday morning at home or visiting loved ones. Others were doing work on the homes, like installing a satellite dish or out doing weekend errands. It was a seemingly typical spring Saturday morning. Until it wasn鈥檛.

RELATED: Mailbox sculpture unveiled on Oso slide anniversary
RELATED: State honors Oso slide victims, survivors, community

At 10:37 a.m., as unknowing families, friends, and workers went about enjoying their day, a massive wall of mud, trees, and debris came roaring down the hillside without warning, killing dozens in the neighborhood. It buried others who were driving along SR 530 at precisely the wrong time.

Forty-three people were killed and many others injured. The dead ranged in age from four months to 91 years old.

It was the deadliest landslide in U.S. history and it devastated the communities of Arlington, Oso, and Darrington, along with the families of all of those lost.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 been five years,鈥� said Jessica Pszonka. “It doesn鈥檛 feel like it鈥檚 been five years. I literally know exactly where I was. It feels like it happened yesterday.”

Pszonka鈥檚 sister, Katie Ruthven, lived along the Stillaguamish River in the Steelhead Drive neighborhood. She was home that morning, along with her husband, Shane, their 6- and 4-year-old sons, Hunter and Wyatt, and Shane鈥檚 parents, Lou and Judee. All six of them — three generations — were killed in the slide.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rough five years adjusting to such a big piece of our pie gone — a big core part of our family — it鈥檚 just been hard for our family,鈥� Jessica said, noting this time of year at the anniversary is especially tough.

鈥淒uring the year, I鈥檓 pretty good about keeping everything kind of buried, but then the news starts doing it, doing articles on it, people start asking about my tattoos [her tattoo includes the date of the slide] 鈥榦h that date is coming up, what does that date mean?鈥� and that kind of stuff,鈥� Pszonka said when we spoke at the slide site earlier this week. “So you know, it鈥檚 a lot more raw, definitely. You can see a difference in family members. Everyone just seems a little more on edge, a little more emotional.”

Photos from the recovery efforts
Amanda Skorjanc gives firsthand account of Oso slide

Dayn Brunner鈥檚 sister, Summer Raffo, was killed when the mudslide tore across SR 530 as she was driving from Darrington to Arlington for a horseshoeing job. He rushed to the slide site with his two teenage sons after his mom called worried and searched for his sister.

They found her after five days.

鈥淪he was in her car, she was literally buried by tons and tons of rock, dirt, mud, trees 鈥� buried in her car still sitting in the driver鈥檚 seat when we found her,” Brunner recalled. “We dug for about three hours and pulled her out. Her whole lifeless body that was entombed in her mud-laced car, we got her out and said our final goodbyes to her.”

“For me, it continued on because I came back and dug more bodies out. I wanted to see everybody get recovered, and we did we make that happen, which is unheard of,鈥� Brunner added when we visited the slide site on Monday.

Brunner and Pszonka were at the site Monday laying fresh flowers, family photos, and other personal items along the rows of 43 trees that were planted several years ago as a temporary memorial to the slide victims.

Remembering 43

Large turnout for the 5th year rememberance of the Oso slide, including national guard and local first responders who never gave up until all 43 victims were recovered

鈥� Hanna Scott (@Hanna成人X站FM)

The two were preparing for Friday’s “5 Remembrance Ceremony,” where families of those killed in the mudslide, survivors, volunteers who helped, first responders, and county and state officials will gather to honor the victims.

The families and Snohomish County Parks hold a remembrance ceremony every year on March 22 to remember their lost loved ones and honor all those who came together in the face of great tragedy. This year will be a bit different as two parts of what will eventually be a park-like permanent memorial are unveiled and dedicated.

Scenes from the site of the Oso slide 5yrs later. Preparations underway for remembrance ceremony, new SR530 sign to be dedicated today, new visitors sign for eventual permanent memorial 鈦︹仼

鈥� Hanna Scott (@Hanna成人X站FM)

The first, a bronzed replica of the cluster of mailboxes just off SR 530 that, on top of doing its job receiving mail, served as a landmark for the families who lived in Steelhead Haven. The mailboxes were a point of reference for residents who gave directions to one of their many summer barbecues, or kids’ birthday parties.

The mailbox sculpture — titled “It Was a Home” — represents the tight-knit community that was lost in the mudslide.

The second memorial, WSDOT will unveil and dedicate the new Oso Slide Memorial Highway signs along SR 530 to mark the renaming of a 23-mile stretch of the highway between Arlington and Darrington that is being renamed in honor of the victims.

Brunner, Pszonka, and other family members of the mudslide victims, including John Hadaway, whose brother, Steven, was killed while installing a satellite dish on one of the homes when the slide hit, have worked tirelessly over the past two years to raise money for the eventual permanent memorial. They bravely shared their very personal stories of loss with 成人X站 Radio last year as part of our fundraising efforts, which helped raise $87,000 in donations and another $150,000 in donated materials and work for the memorial. You can find out .

John Hadaway lost his brother Steven 5 yrs ago today in the Oso slide. He鈥檚 here with his family for the remembrance ceremony, attending to the memorial tree planted in his brother鈥檚 honor 鈦︹仼 鈦︹仼

鈥� Hanna Scott (@Hanna成人X站FM)

The family members lobbied the state Transportation Commission for the SR530 memorial highway, which was approved unanimously just last month, they asked the state Legislature for $3 million dollars to help fund the memorial, and they worked with the Seattle artist who created the mailbox sculpture.

On June 22, family members will hold the Oso Slide Memorial Gala at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront for a big fundraising push. They’re currently looking for and , as well as donated items for auction.

All of those efforts in the hope of getting to a permanent memorial so that their loved ones, the neighborhood that used to be there, the hundreds who came together as a community to do whatever they could to help when the deadliest landslide in U.S. history hit are never forgotten.

“For me, one of the biggest things is I find peace when I come up to the site,” Pszonka explained. “A lot of family members, community members — people need peace. I mean there are still a lot of people hurting, a lot of first responders who are hurting on a daily basis who have unimaginable things that they鈥檝e seen. They need a place that they can go to that鈥檚 beautiful, that we can come and sit down, and kind of reflect on everything.”

鈥淚 find peace up here because this is the only place where I can actually feel my sister,鈥� she added.

Tokens of love left at the tree planted in honor of Katie Ruthven, who lost her life on March 22, 2014. (Hanna Scott, 成人X站 Radio)

Brunner says his sister, Summer, would hate all this attention and effort.

鈥淪he would hate the fact that she鈥檚 being put in the spotlight and she would just shake her head ‘no’ and walk away with her head down, and get ready to go back to work somewhere,鈥� Brunner said.

鈥淪he feels the love though, I know she does and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 important to me and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 important to my family,鈥� he added.

Join 成人X站 Radio to help raise $6 million needed to build a memorial

Friday鈥檚 Remembrance Ceremony will start at 10:00 a.m., where the names of the 43 victims will be read and a bell will ring for each of them. Check back here for a live stream of the event.

43 victims of the Oso mudslide:

Summer Raffo, 36
Alan Bejvl, 21
Delaney Webb, 19
Jerry Halstead, 74
Gloria Halstead, 67
John Regelbrugge, 49
Kris Regelbrugge, 44
Linda McPherson, 69
Christina Jefferds, 45
Sanoah Huestis, 4 months
Amanda Lennick, 31
William Welsh, 66
Steve Hadaway, 53
Stephen Neal, 55
Thom Satterlee, 65
Marcy Satterlee, 61
Billy Spillers,30
Kaylee Spillers, 5
Brooke Spillers, 2
Jovon Mangual, 13
Tom Durnell, 65
Brandy Ward, 58
Shelley Bellomo, 55
Jerry Logan, 63
Steve Harris, 52
Theresa Harris, 53
Joseph R. Miller, 47
Denver Harris, 14
Shane Ruthven, 43
Katie Ruthven, 34
Wyatt Ruthven, 4
Hunter Ruthven, 6
JuDee Vandenburg, 64
Lou Vandenburg, 71
Julie Farnes, 59
Adam Farnes, 23
Ron DeQuilettes, 52
Michael W. Pearson, 74
Lon Slauson, 59
Mark Gustafson, 54
Bonnie Gullikson, 91
Larry Miller, 58
Sandy Miller, 64