Kevin Ryce, 34, is ready to start searching. He's traveled across the country to find his cousin's family, who are still missing in the Washington state mudslide.
"My family, I love them," said Ryce, who is from Scranton, Pa. "Anything family you do what you can. Never give up, just keep going."
Ryce's cousin, Navy chief petty officer Billy Spillers, has been missing ever since Saturday when he was watching TV with his wife Jonielle and their four children in their home on Steelhead Drive in Oso, KING 5 News reports. So far, only one of the children has been found: 4-year-old Jacob, who was rescued from the mud by helicopter on Saturday, just hours after the disaster began.
Today, Ryce bought boots and gloves at an Arlington, Wash., Walmart, and prepared to join the search.
"It's shocking. I went up there at the scene today and it was just, you know, nothing like you expect," Ryce said. "Mentally, I just, I have to do it ... get up there, and start digging."
He and his missing cousin were especially close.
"When me and Billy were together it was like a brother bond," he said.
Hear more about the mudslide recovery efforts tonight on "Nightly News with Brian Williams."
