Ketchikan landslide kills 1, injures 3, damages 6 homes

A landslide tore down a slope about a mile north of downtown Ketchikan, killing one person and injuring three on Sunday.

The landslide hit around 4 p.m., and a mandatory evacuation order remained in place Monday for homes on several streets in the slide area near the waterfront.

A dozen people stayed at an emergency shelter established at Ketchikan High School on Sunday night, emergency officials said. Others stayed with family or friends. Schools were closed Monday, which would have been the first day of classes for the 2024-25 school year.

As of Monday, the slide area was unstable, authorities said. A team of geologists was expected to evaluate the potential for additional ground movement before crews start the recovery process, including debris removal and repairing scores of downed power poles.

Officials warned shaken locals and thousands of cruise ship visitors to avoid the area.

At about 8 p.m. Sunday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration.

An estimated half-dozen homes were damaged, some "very significant," said Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor Rodney Dial. He said the priority Monday was getting a team of four geologists to the site to evaluate the stability of the slope, given the potential for additional slides.

"We want to, as reasonably as possible, assure the safety of the folks that are going to go in and begin the recovery effort before we send them in," Dial said.

"At this time all individuals have been accounted for," emergency officials said in a statement late Sunday.

Over the past decade, landslides have killed 12 people in Southeast Alaska and caused millions of dollars in damage.

In addition to Ketchikan and the November 2023 slide in Wrangell that killed six people, a 2020 winter storm in Haines triggered a landslide that destroyed homes, killing two residents. In August 2015, heavy rain triggered a landslide in a subdivision of homes under construction in Sitka, leaving three people dead.

Sean Griffin, an employee of the City of Ketchikan's public works team, was identified Monday afternoon as the man killed in the landslide. Borough officials said he was in the area, responding to a call for assistance, during his time off.

"Sean and another team member were clearing stormwater drains when they were caught in the landslide on the Third Avenue Bypass," a borough statement said.

Griffin, 42, was raised in Ketchikan. He was a senior maintenance technician and worked for 17 years for the city. He left behind a wife and four sons, officials said.

The slide started above the Third Avenue Bypass and swept across the bypass and into part of the neighborhood in the area of Second and Whitecliff avenues.

Ketchikan city officials, in a statement Monday addressing what they called "public concerns regarding the presence of cruise ships in port," said there were no safety concerns related to the port. At least one cruise line canceled shore excursions and tours, according to the statement.

"The decision to continue or suspend operations is ultimately up to individual companies, tour providers and downtown businesses," the statement said. "If there is no health or safety issue, the city will not intervene into business decisions or impede commerce for our local businesses."

Along with geologists, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather team and representatives from the State Emergency Operations Center were expected to visit the slide area Monday.

It wasn't immediately clear what conditions caused the ground to give way. The slide came after a day of pouring rain coupled with high winds, residents said.

Resident Leah Canfield said the wall of dirt and debris narrowly missed her home. Canfield, her husband, and two dogs found refuge at a hotel. Their home on Second Avenue was unsafe to re-enter as of Monday.

Canfield, who has lived there since 1997, said she noticed how hard it was raining Sunday afternoon, hoped there wouldn't be a landslide, and said a prayer. By 2 p.m., she said, she saw city workers trying to stem flooding down the sidewalk.

Two hours later, as Canfield and her husband napped, she saw the flash of a damaged power line and heard a roar and thought a thunderstorm had started. Then her home began to shake. It had been hit by another house.

"It shook. It was just terrifying," Canfield said Monday. "I had to wake up my husband: 'There's something going on. We need to get out.'"

The couple left safely with the clothes they had on, their phones and the dogs. Canfield said her husband was able to return briefly, escorted by responders, to grab some medicines and a few more items.

First responders came to help immediately, she said, listing other parts of the community that also rushed to provide assistance: the recreation center opened for showers; the school provided an emergency shelter; several businesses offered clothing; the tribal clinic was open for walk-ins; a restaurant gave responders free coffee; and some residents opened their homes to families with children displaced by the slide.

"This is just an amazing community," Canfield said. "It was a long night."

She said the amount of rain Sunday began worrying her when it got over 1.5 inches in just a few hours - similar conditions to those in Wrangell last year.

The rainfall total at Ketchikan Airport on Sunday was just over 2.5 inches, not an uncommon amount in the city and far short of the daily record set in 1961 of nearly 8 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Spencer Fielding.