 The town government, running on a small budget of $1.6 million, accepted several grants from the state to upgrade its water system and repair streets during the recession.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.