Illustrating nature: Art and science in perfect harmony, D1
SUNDAY, 09.21.2014
787s on the roll
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OSO MUDSLIDE: ‘LORD, I DON’T HAVE TIME TO DIE RIGHT NOW’
Boeing says it will meet its production goal for the year, but the company is having to pick up the pace. By Dan Catchpole Herald Writer
EVERETT — Boeing says it is on track to hit its goal of delivering 110 787 Dreamliners this year. Doing so, however, will require a couple of busy months this fall, as the company will have to deliver slightly more than 10 per month to meet the target. Through August, the airplane maker had delivered 8.6 airplanes a month this year. But Boeing picked up the pace this summer, delivering an average of 12 Dreamliners a month in June, July and August, according to data on the company’s website. One airplane that could soon be delivered is the first 787-8 for Avianca, the flag carrier of Colombia. The plane is parked on the flight line at the Everett Delivery Center at Paine Field, where Boeing hands the keys to airlines and lessors buying aircraft. Boeing’s announcement that it was increasing Dreamliner production to 10 a month — seven in Everett and three in North Charleston, South Carolina — grabbed headlines. But if the company hits the delivery target, it will likely get muted reaction. “Nobody’s going to care if they meet target, because that’s what they are expected to do,” See DREAMLINER, Page A5
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GENNA MARTIN / THE HERALD
Tim Ward was at his home on Steelhead Drive with his wife, Brandy, the day of the Oso mudslide. His wife did not survive the slide and Ward sustained major injuries to his pelvis. Jeremiah (called Blue) was the only one of the family’s five German shorthaired pointers to survive. Blue was found three days after the slide and lost a hind leg.
REBUILDING A LIFE
Six months later there is new hope and a new place to live; but the work of putting his world back together has just begun By Rikki King Herald Writer
STANWOOD — Saturday mornings were relaxed at Tim and Brandy Ward’s house on Steelhead Drive. They would scramble the extra eggs from their hens as a treat for their five German shorthaired pointers. They’d brew a big pot of coffee. On March 22, the couple planned to spend their day making jelly from the strawberries Brandy Ward grew in her garden — different varieties she planted in three, 30-foot-long rows. But first, Tim Ward was going to hop in the shower. He took off his wedding band and his eyeglasses, and heard rumbling like the sound Navy jets make when they fly over the valley. The water pressure suddenly dropped. The bathroom lights flickered, then went out. Tim Ward heard Brandy call his name. She
was in the kitchen, probably looking out the window. It was the last time he heard her voice. A river of mud, water and branches smashed through the walls of their home. Tim Ward felt “thousands of pounds of pressure” on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to keep his mouth closed as he was carried along. Fearing he would drown, he prayed. “I said, ‘Lord, I don’t have time to die right now. I have too much left to do,’” he said. Then he lost consciousness. He woke up buried in a debris pile, 600 yards from where his house had stood. Brandy was gone. After 37 years together, he just knew. “It was that husband-wife communication feeling you have,” he said. From under the tangle of branches, lumber
PHOTO COURTESY TIM WARD
Brandy Ward, 58, with the family’s five German shorthaired pointers: Samson, Delilah, Moses, Jacob and Jeremiah. Only Tim Ward and Jeremiah survived the slide.
Oso mudslide More family photos can be found with this story and previous stories online at heraldnet.com
See SIX MONTHS, Page A5
TETON ADVENTURE
SILVERTIPS OPENER
PAINE FIELD
Classic backpack trip with stunning scenery, wildlife. Outdoors, D6
The Silvertips defeat the Seattle Thunderbirds 1-0. Sports, C1
A view from the busy Paine Field control tower. Local, B1
Lovely 79/56, C10
SUNDAY
VOL. 114, NO. 223 © 2014 THE DAILY HERALD CO.
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