In 2014, a major mudslide on a hillside near Oso, west of Darrington, destroyed dozens of homes and a section of Route 530, cutting off direct road access between Arlington and Darrington for two months. It killed 43, 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 was one of the main staging areas for disaster response workers and supplies; the community center was used as an emergency shelter for victims and the rodeo grounds became an animal shelter and housing for workers.