A landslide that tore down a heavily forested mountainside in southeast Alaska killed a girl, injured a woman and left five people missing when it smashed into three homes in a remote fishing community, authorities said Tuesday.
Crews used cadaver-sniffing dogs and heat-detecting drones to search for those who remained unaccounted for in the hours after the disaster.
The slide — estimated to be about 450 feet (137 meters) wide — happened about 9 p.m. Monday during a significant rainstorm near Wrangell, an island community of 2,000 residents about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Juneau.
Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said at a news briefing that three adults and two children were missing and a girl was found dead during a quick search Monday night.
Authorities said they did not immediately know the girl’s age.
Crews on Tuesday morning rescued a woman who was on the top floor of a home that was hit, McDaniel said. He is in good condition and undergoing medical treatment.
The slide ripped down the mountainside, leaving a scar of barren land from near the summit to the ocean, wiping out large evergreen trees and leaving what appeared to be the remains of a house in its wake.
One of the three homes hit was unoccupied, McDaniel said.
The slide — estimated to be about 450 feet (137 meters) wide — happened about 9 p.m. Monday during a significant rainstorm near Wrangell, an island community of 2,000 residents about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Juneau.AP
A geologist from the Alaska Department of Transportation was flown in from Juneau, the state capital, and conducted a preliminary assessment of the landslide area, clearing several areas of the debris field for a ground search to begin.
Phone service appears to be down for the remote community, but officials posted on Facebook that the local food bank is accepting donations and offering a community gathering place at the bakery.
“Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with those who suffered as a result of last night’s events,” the official wrote on Wrangell’s Facebook page.
The landslide cut off access and electricity to about 75 homes, and boats have taken residents from cut-off areas to unaffected parts of the city, according to the state emergency management office.
Military forces said a large-scale search and rescue mission was initially impossible because the site was unstable and dangerous.
Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said at a news briefing that three adults and two children were missing and a girl was found dead during a quick search Monday night.AP
Interim Wrangell regional manager Mason Villarma told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that finding the missing is a priority.
“Our community is resilient. And it always comes together for tragedies like this. We are broken, but resilient and determined to find all the missing people,” said Villarma.
“Part of the slide has been opened for search and rescue professionals, but in limited places,” Villarma said.
“Currently there are two of them who can work in the area with a cadaver dog. And there are also heat-detecting drones.”
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Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration for Wrangell, saying he and his wife are praying for all those affected.
“Rose and I are saddened by this disaster and we pray for the safety of everyone at the location and offer all the resources available in our state,” he said in a statement on social media.
The state transportation department said drone experts and heavy equipment operators were also sent to Wrangell.
The state’s emergency management division also plans to send someone to Wrangell to determine community needs, added agency spokesman Jeremy Zidek.
The military also warned of the threat of additional landslides in the area after a day of stormy weather marked by strong winds and rain.
They urged people trapped on the other side of the slide, far from Wrangell, to evacuate by water taxi.
A shelter has been established.
Wrangell received about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain between 1 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, with winds gusting up to 60 mph (96 kph) at higher elevations, said Aaron Jacobs, a hydrologist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. .
It was part of a strong storm system moving through southeast Alaska that brought heavy snow in places and blizzard-like conditions to Juneau — and rain and minor flooding to areas farther south.
Landslides were also reported in the Ketchikan area and on Prince of Wales Island, he said.
Another storm system is expected in the Wrangell area late Wednesday into Thursday.
Wrangell is one of the oldest non-Alaska Native settlements in the state, founded in 1811 when Russians began trading with the Tlingits, according to the state’s database of Alaska communities.
Tlingits, Russians, British and Americans all contributed to the historical influence on Wrangell.
Logging was once the main economic driver, but that has shifted to commercial fishing.
In December 2020, heavy rain caused a landslide in another southeast Alaskan town, claiming two lives. The 200-yard-wide slide hit a neighborhood in the community of Haines, leaving about 9 feet (2.7 meters) of mud and trees covering city streets.
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