A landslide in the city of Ketchikan, Alaska, left one person dead and three others injured on Sunday. It happened at approximately 4 p.m. local time, destroying several homes and endangering part of the city’s population.
City officials called for mandatory evacuations in the area. A local community center and the city’s Ketchikan High School were being used as shelters during the emergency. There were also warnings that a second landslide was possible, and emergency personnel were monitoring the situation.
“A potential secondary landslide area has been identified south of the original slide location. Response crews are standing by,” the city announced in a release on Sunday evening.
Multiple reports indicate that Ketchikan experienced heavy rain all weekend before the landslide. The rain was expected to continue into Monday.
“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer said in a statement on Sunday night.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) announced a disaster declaration for the area.
“I have directed state agencies to make available all resources and staff for the response effort,” Dunleavy said.
He also took to social media to provide updates on the situation.
“This afternoon, I verbally declared a disaster declaration for the landslide that struck Ketchikan earlier today,” Dunleavy said in a post on X. “All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also expressed concern for the landslide victims.
“Praying for everyone in Ketchikan right now,” Murkowski posted on X. “The city has issued a warning that a second landslide is possible and is mandating evacuation for people who live along 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues as well as parts of Water Street. Officials are encouraging those evacuating to use Madison Street to reach an emergency shelter at the Ketchikan High School.”
Ketchikan is located along Alaska’s Inside Passage in the southern part of the state, west of British Columbia, Canada, and about 680 miles north of Seattle. The city has a population of nearly 14,000 people and has dubbed itself the “salmon capital of the world.”
Landslides have been quite problematic and a recurring hazard in Southeast Alaska, according to Alaska’s Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Landslides have caused tens of millions of dollars in damage and have killed 11 people in Southeast Alaska over the last decade.
