The Oso mudslide that took the lives of 41 people shows us just how devastating a landslide can be. But some lawmakers say despite the risk, landslide monitoring is underfunded.

Rep. Suzan DelBene is among lawmakers asking for more resources to monitor landslide-prone areas. DelBene tells KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz that in the past, landslides may not have gotten as much attention as other disasters.

“There has been funding for other events, other disasters mainly probably because people have been more aware of them,” says DelBene. “I think it’s important that we make sure that people are aware that landslides have devastating impacts, as we have seen here in Washington state, and make sure that we have resources available to put together these programs so that not only will people better understand, but better able to predict and respond.”

DelBene says there are a number of technologies that could help us in better understanding and predicting landslides.

“I think we have to be aware that a landslide can have impact on property but definitely have an incredibly devastating impact on friends, and family, and on communities, and we need to make sure we have resources in place to use and have the best science available.”