Deadly Landslide Occurs in Alaska, Prompting State of Emergency

Alaska's governor has declared a state of emergency following a deadly landslide in Ketchikan. ABC News reported.

The horrific incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. local time on August 25 in the city’s Gateway Borough. One person died and three others were injured in the landslide. Two remain at Ketchikan Medical Center, while one person was treated and released.

“Friends, it is with great sadness that we report that a landslide in our city has claimed one life, caused many injuries, damaged homes and impacted our community,” the borough’s mayor, Rodney Dial, wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. “In the meantime, please keep the affected families in your prayers and know that we are doing everything we can to recover from this event as quickly as possible and help those in need.”

Ketchikan Mayor David Kiffer said he had “never seen a landslide of this magnitude before.” “With the landslides we’re seeing across the region, it clearly shows a region-wide problem that we need to work to understand with the support of our state geologist,” Kiffer said. “The loss of life that we’ve seen is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who have lost their homes.”

Following the tragedy, state Governor Mike Dunleavy took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare a state of emergency. “This afternoon, I verbally declared a disaster for the landslide that hit Ketchikan earlier today,” Dunleavy said. “All state agencies have been directed to provide any assistance needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight.”

Landslides often occur when an area receives a lot of rain after an unusually dry period. Ketchikan usually sees about six inches of rain each August, but this year it has only seen three inches. But heavy rains hit the area on August 24 and 25, with some higher elevation areas seeing as much as nine inches. More rain is expected next week.

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