President Obama to visit site of deadly Washington state landslide

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A worker navigates the muck left behind by a landslide in Snohomish County, Wash. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

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Searchers head toward the site of the mudslide in Oso, Wash., on Friday. (Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

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A helicopter leaves the Darrington, Wash., airport on Friday as part of the emergency response to the massive mudslide in nearby Oso. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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Searchers work on the side of a hill Friday at the site of the deadly mudslide in Oso, Wash. (Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

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A customer lays out a T-shirt for sale at a sporting goods store in Arlington, Wash., with proceeds to go to mudslide victims. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

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Volunteer Carol Messingale sorts through goods donated for mudslide relief in Darrington, Wash. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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Workers comb through debris at the site of the deadly mudslide in Oso, Wash. (Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

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Snoqualmie Indian tribe members Toby Strotz, right, and his sister, Chris Strotz Jacobs, embrace in Darrington, Wash., after the tribe announced a donation of $275,000 for mudslide relief efforts, including for local fire departments, the Red Cross, and others. Fire District 24 Chief Dennis Fenstermaker, left, thanks members of the tribe for the donation. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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Claire Logan, right, carries supplies to help set up an evacuation center at Post Middle School in Arlington. (Mark Harrison / Seattle Times via AP)

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Kristopher Langton shares a moment with his son, Kristian Langton, 5 months, at a temporary Red Cross shelter at the Darrington Community Center in Darrington, Wash. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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Amber Tollenaar, right, hugs the Rev. Janet Loyd at a temporary Red Cross shelter set up for landslide survivors at the Darrington Community Center in Darrington, Wash. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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Elaine Young hugs her dog, Bo, days after the mudslide narrowly missed her home. (David Ryder / Getty Images)

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A body is carried out of a home destroyed by the mudslide. (Joshua Trujillo / Associated Press)

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Workers try to clear debris from State Route 530 on the western edge of the massive mudslide. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

By Maria L. La Ganga

April 8, 2014 1:19 PM PT

SEATTLE — One month after the Washington state landslide that killed at least 34, President Obama is planning to survey the destruction firsthand.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that Obama will travel on April 22 to the site of the mammoth slide that closed State Route 530 and destroyed dozens of homes, prompting a major disaster declaration from the White House.

The president is scheduled to meet with families of the dead and missing, first responders and recovery workers, Inslee said.

“From the earliest days following the slide, the president has closely monitored events in the area and shown his concerns for the victims and their families,” Inslee said in a written statement announcing the visit. “He and his team have been important partners in the response effort, and I believe this visit will strengthen those ties as we face the tough work ahead.”

The death toll from the March 22 landslide continues to rise. On Tuesday, the Snohomish County medical examiner’s office said it had received a total of 34 victims, up from 33 a day earlier, and has positively identified 30 of them.

Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both Democrats, expressed gratitude Tuesday for the president’s upcoming visit – and for the federal government’s support in the form of disaster assistance and an extension of the April 15 tax filing deadline for those affected by the slide.

“We are confident that President Obama will see what we have seen,” the senators wrote in a joint statement, “the tremendous resolve and determination of the people of Oso, Darrington and Arlington in the face of tragedy.”

Among the difficult issues facing Snohomish County and the small towns along the Stillaguamish River is whether it will be possible to rebuild the demolished the town of Oso, which had a population of about 200 when the hillside came crashing down on it 2 1/2 weeks ago.

There are also questions surrounding how much longer searchers will continue to look for the remains of the 12 people still missing, who range in age from 2-year-old Brooke Spillers to 91-year-old Bonnie J. Gullikson, both of Arlington.

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maria.laganga@latimes.com

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