Washington mudslide proclaims state of emergency,176 missing; death toll rises to 14

At least 14 people are known dead after the massive mudslide that buried several dozen homes north of Seattle, in Washington State. Reportedly, 176 are missing. U.S. President Obama has declared a

state of emergency in Washington State ordering U.S. government assistance to supplement state and local relief efforts in the aftermath of the mudslide and flooding. Rescue efforts were hampered over the weekend because of extremely dangerous conditions. Search and rescue officials said that the slide was still being treated as a rescue operation, but that the chances that anyone might still be found alive were fading.

 
More than 100 properties were hit by the cascading mud, 49 of which had a house, cabin or mobile home on them, Pennington said. At least 25 of those homes were believed to have been occupied year round. The slide in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains along the Stillaguamish River piled mud, boulders and rubble up to 15 feet (5 meters) deep in some places. It blocked the flow of the river, backing up water behind a natural dam that caused flooding of seven homes upstream of the slide.