Nature plays no favorites

Edgar Allan Poe, despite the fact that he was a Southerner by heritage and not surprisingly a racist—portraying blacks in his works in the negative stereotypes typical for the times—in other ways he was aware of class prejudice in American society. This is not surprising, since he lived much of his working life in ill-compensated style, his life ending in mysterious circumstances on a Baltimore street. His story “Masque of the Red Death” told of privileged princes, nobles and aristocrats who barricaded themselves in a castle high above ground in the expectation of escaping the ravages of the “Red Death” that was bringing untold misery in the countryside. Life for them was so idle and pleasant that they decided to put on a masked ball, oblivious to the sound of agony without. Unfortunately for them, Nature was not to be denied. It crashed the party—except that is was wearing no mask: It was the literal figure of the Red Death come to claim its next victims.

There are classes of people who still hope to avoid the consequences of inequality and greed in this country. Right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers attempt to buy elections to ensure that they are never discomfited by feelings of guilt. Others live in gated communities patrolled by security, or in isolated hamlets and villages far from urban “blight” and the “elements.” One of these is the community of Oso, Washington in Snohomish County, along the Stillaguamish River.

Aerial photos reveal spacious homes in large plots, situated in a natural setting. According to the 2000 Census, there were 246 residents, all but 2 identified as “white.” The median income per household was over $75,000 (certainly more now), and none of the 96 households were below the poverty level. While I wouldn’t have firsthand knowledge of the political affiliation of these people, the area reminds me of that around Preston and North Bend, where I worked for a few years in the 1990s. I can tell you from my encounters with state troopers that places like this is where people like me are only tolerated to work in, and not to “hang around” any longer than is absolutely necessary. 

One thing that aerial photos do not show clearly is the Skaglund Hill outside Oso, which has been the scene of mudslides and has been a constant threat to repeat this activity. Yet people only seem only vaguely aware of the danger and any chance occurrence is unlikely to deter them from vacating an ideal location that suits their quest to avoid the “dangers” of urban existence. Unfortunately for many of these people, Nature was insensitive to these expectations.

I’ve talked about how the region had been in the midst of a mini-drought from October through January, and according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the region is still experiencing drought-like conditions because of the lack of snowpack during the peak months of the wet season. But this past February 6.11 inches of precipitation fell in the Seattle area, 2.61 inches above normal. But January was far worse, with 7.69 inches in the first 18 days, more than 5 inches above normal. 

While no significant flooding occurred, probably since at the start of this period water levels were significantly below normal, so much water so soon in relatively mild temperatures could be seen as creating the erosion conditions needed to form a wall of mud on a hill denuded of trees. 

Still, like the Romans living under a “sleeping” Mount Vesuvius, no one seemed to really believe that anything catastrophic was going to happen. The onrushing wall of mud and debris that came down Skaglund Hill wiped out scores of homes in literally minutes, and eventually formed a natural dam in the river. The unpreparedness of the population was such that by current count, the possibility exists that close to half the residents have perished, although at this writing only eight are confirmed dead. 

This grim and tragic occurrence is testimony to the fact that whatever some people think of the failings of certain of the human race, what they fear is nothing compared to awesome power of Nature itself. “Beauty” is just as likely to be the “Beast.”