Our first today centers on the landslide in Washington State. The governor has declared the state of emergency and hopes for finding survivors are fading. This happened on Saturday night affecting two rural communities north of Seattle. It covered a square mile and killed at least 14 people. Officials say more than 170 others are still unaccounted for, though that doesn`t necessarily mean they are all victims. At least 50 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.

 

How does this happen?

 

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What happens when you get more rain than you should right around this mountain ranges. It becomes very, very heavy and the soil begins to soak and gravity just pulls it down and when you get those very steep slopes, too steep to support it, the slope falls and that`s where you get your mudslide and that`s exactly what has happened.

AZUZ: U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has gotten a lot of attention over the years for her efforts to fight childhood obesity in America. She promotes another cause involving young people. She wants them to study abroad. Right now she`s in China where she discussed exchange programs yesterday with Chinese and international students. But she recently sat down with CNN I-Report to answer some viewers` questions about studying abroad.

 

MICHELLE OBAMA: Hi. I`m First Lady Michelle Obama and I`m here to answer your I-Report questions.

 

WILL JAMES, ATLANTA GEORGIA: Hi, Mrs. Obama. My name is Willie James. I`m from Atlanta, Georgia. And I studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan, for one year, back in 2008-2009. My question to you is what advice would you give to young American students going abroad for the first time?

 

MICHELLE OBAMA: Number one, be open. Try to enter the experience with no preconceived notions about the country you`re going to or the people in that country. You`ve got to try to shake the fear. You know, you can`t approach this opportunities thinking that everything is going to feel good and comfortable and you`ll get everything right. You probably are going to make a lot of mistakes, but you know what, that`s life.

 

In other parts of the world that you go to, they will appreciate your effort, your energy as long as you come into the experience respecting the people and the culture that you`re coming into.

 

APRIL THOMPSON, ACCRA, GHANA: Hi, Mrs. Obama. My name is April Thompson. And I`m currently in Accra, Ghana. My question for you is where did you receive your first passport stamp and how that experience impact the person that you are today?

 

MICHELLE OBAMA: Our sophomore class had an opportunity to spend a week for break in France, and initially, I was nervous about taking that week. I didn`t want to ask my father to pay for that trip. It felt like an extravagance. And I remember breaking down in tears feeling guilty about even asking him if I could go. He wanted me to have all the experiences that he didn`t` have. And he didn`t blink an eye in paying for that trip.

 

So, I got on a plane with some of my classmates and we stayed in a youth hostel and spoke a lot of bad French and learned a lot.

 

AZUZ: You heard the First Lady mention cost there, and while studying abroad can unlock a lot of cultural and educational doors for students, it`s usually done at an additional fee, and not everyone can afford it. Student loans might help, but as things stand now, the average debt for college graduates who got student loans is more than $27,000.

 

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Undergraduates, you`ve got some company. You`re not the only one leaving school with a mountain of debt. And, in fact, graduate students are taking out even bigger loans. More than $57,000, to be exact. That`s the median debt load for a student with the graduate degree, anything from an NBA to a master`s and medical or a law degree. And that 57,000 is up from 40,000 in 2004. A 43 percent increase according to the New America Foundation. There are a few factors at play: schools have raised prices partly because they are getting less aid from state governments. Some people lost their savings in the recession and have to borrow more these days. Also, many undergraduates are having a hard time finding work, so they are going back to school for a higher degree. That could add to an already existing debt load. But some say, it`s worth it because in the long run, there`s a return on investment in the form of higher earnings, and many students believe grad school will give them a leg up when they start looking for a job. I`m Alison Kosik in New York.