(Juneau, Alaska) — A landslide barreled down a thickly forested, rain-soaked mountainside and smashed into homes in a rural fishing community in southeast Alaska, killing three and leaving three missing.
The 450-foot-wide slide happened around 9 p.m. Monday after a severe rain and windstorm near Wrangell, an island settlement of 2,000 people about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of the state capital of Juneau.
During the initial search, rescue teams discovered the body of a girl, and a drone operator discovered the bodies of two adults late Tuesday. The Coast Guard and other vessels searched along a waterfront cluttered with rocks, trees, and muck with a cadaver-sniffing dog and heat-sensing drones for two youngsters and one adult who went missing following the incident.
According to Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel, a woman on the upper story of a home was rescued. She was in good health and receiving medical attention. McDaniel stated that one of the three residences struck was vacant.
“Our community is resilient,” Mason Villarma, temporary borough manager of Wrangell, told The Associated Press over the phone. “And it always comes together in times of tragedy like this.” We’re broken but resilient and committed to finding everyone who has gone missing.”
3 Dead And 3 Missing After Landslide Rips Through Remote Alaska Fishing Community
Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a catastrophe in Wrangell, stating he and his wife were devastated and prayed for all those affected.
The avalanche left a scar of barren dirt from the mountain’s peak down to the coast. A large swath of evergreen trees was uprooted, and a highway was buried by debris, cutting off access and power to around 75 residences.
Because the site was unstable and dangerous, troopers said a large-scale search and rescue attempt was not immediately conceivable. A geologist from the Alaska Department of Transportation was flown in from Juneau to do a preliminary evaluation, clearing some portions of the debris field for ground searches.
Troopers warned of the possibility of more landslides. They urged residents trapped on the other side of the fall, away from Wrangell, to take a water taxi to safety.
Between 1 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, Wrangell received around 2 inches (5 cm) of rain, with wind gusts reaching 60 mph (96 kph) at higher elevations, according to Aaron Jacobs, a hydrologist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau.
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3 Dead And 3 Missing After Landslide Rips Through Remote Alaska Fishing Community
It was part of a powerful storm system that passed over southeast Alaska, delivering heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions to Juneau and rain and minor flooding to locations further south. He also reported landslides in the Ketchikan area and Prince of Wales Island.
According to Jacobs, rainfall amounts like what Wrangell saw Monday are not unusual, but high winds may have aided in the slide, when gusts of wind whip trees on a slope, saturated soil might give way, according to Barrett Salisbury, a geologist with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
Another storm system will likely pass over the Wrangell area late Wednesday or early Thursday.
According to a state database of Alaska communities, Wrangell is one of the state’s oldest non-Alaska Native villages, formed in 1811 when Russians began trading with Tlingits. Tlingits, Russians, British, and Americans were all historical influences on Wrangell. Timber was previously a major economic driver, but it has given way to commercial fishing.
In December 2020, heavy rains caused a landslide in another southeast Alaska city, killing two people. The 200-yard-wide (183-meter-wide) slide blasted into a Haines neighborhood, burying city streets with nearly 9 feet (2.7 meters) of mud and trees.
SOURCE – (AP)
