On March 22 , 2014 , a major mudslide on a hillside near Oso destroyed dozens of homes and a section of State Route 530 , cutting off direct road access between Arlington and Darrington for two months . The mudslide took place west of Darrington and killed 43 people , becoming the deadliest landslide in U.S. history and the deadliest natural disaster in state history since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens . Darrington became one of the main staging areas for disaster response workers and supplies , converting a community center into an emergency shelter for victims and the rodeo grounds into an animal shelter and housing for workers
1980 eruption
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
Darrington, Washington