Natural disaster survivors: Mayor talks life after Oso landslide

A worker uses a chain saw at the scene of the deadly mudslide near Oso, Wash.

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Rick Wilking/AP

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A sign and the American flag are seen in Oso, Washington on March 31, 2014. 'We're still in shock, really,' says Ben Sullivan. As the likely death toll from the monster landslide in the picture postcard valley town of Oso climbs into the dozens, that's a common feeling round here, more than a week after the catastrophe.

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AFP/AFP/Getty Images

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Forty-three people died after a mountain collapsed near the Washington town of Oso six months ago. A mayor for the nearby town of Darrington was a survivor and talks about the aftermath.

Six months ago, a mountain collapsed near the Washington town of Oso.

Forty-three people died, entire neighborhoods were destroyed and the community was changed, forever.

Seattle public stations KUOW and KCTS joined together to produce follow-up stories of survivors in the aftermath of the slide.

One of them is the mayor of Darrington, which is 16 miles east of Oso on Highway 530. His name is Dan Rankin.

KCTS and KUOW report:

In the days following the landslide, Mayor Rankin recalls, he did not stop moving. Meeting with government officials, familes, and the media, a once part-time job became round-the-clock. With an air of humility, he reflects, "I had to make sure that things weren't falling through the cracks, people weren't falling through the cracks. But, you still don't feel like you've done enough."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHhy3myjUNo#t=49