‘Just terrifying’: As Ketchikan residents take stock after fatal landslide, geologists assess stability

The day after a landslide tore down a slope above downtown Ketchikan, killing a city worker and injuring three other people, officials warned shaken locals and thousands of cruise ship visitors to avoid the area.

The landslide hit around 4 p.m. Sunday, and a mandatory evacuation order remained in place for homes on several streets near the waterfront. One of the injured people was treated and released, while two others were admitted Sunday to Ketchikan Medical Center.

A dozen people stayed at an emergency shelter established at Ketchikan High School on Sunday night, emergency officials said. Others are staying with family or friends. Ketchikan City Hall was closed on Monday, along with all schools. Gov. Mike Dunleavy verbally issued a disaster declaration on Sunday.

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

An estimated half-dozen homes had damage, some of it “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 Monday morning.

Sean Griffin, an employee of the City of Ketchikan’s public works team, was identified Monday afternoon as the man killed in the Third Avenue Landslide. Borough officials said he that 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 of Ketchikan. He left behind a wife and four sons, officials said.

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

Local officials urged the public to avoid the landslide area for the safety of the community, they said in an updated emergency response statement Monday. That message also applied to visitors in Ketchikan, which receives more than 1.5 million cruise ship passengers a year.

Four cruise ships were scheduled to call in Ketchikan on Monday. Local officials said passengers would be allowed to disembark provided there are no health or safety issues, though visitors were asked to stay away from the slide zone.

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, a blue house visible in photos. Canfield, her husband, and two dogs found refuge at a local hotel. Their home on Second Avenue is unsafe to re-enter right now.

Canfield, a Ketchikan Indian Community behavioral health clinician who’s lived there since 1997, said she noticed how hard it was raining on Sunday afternoon, hoped there wouldn’t be a landslide, and said a little 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 house began to shake. It had been hit by another home.

“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 are offering clothing; the tribal clinic is 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 when a destructive slide killed six.

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.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a 24-hour flight restriction over the Third Avenue slide area Monday to allow geologists and state drone operators to conduct their site assessement, emergency officials said. Alaska Airlines will be allowed to operate, as will float planes and flightseeing operations outside the slide zone.

A mandatory evacuation order was in place for homes in the area of Third Avenue, Second Avenue/Water Street, First Avenue and White Cliff Avenue between Austin Street and Nadeau Street, the borough said in a social media post Sunday evening. Drivers were asked to limit trips along Tongass Avenue between First Avenue and Washington Street to prioritize access for emergency and essential personnel.

People impacted by the landslide may be eligible for assistance through the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the State Individual Assistance and Temporary Housing programs for survivors with damages or emergency expenses, local officials say. Interested parties can use an online application system or register at 844-445-7131.

Sean Maguire reported from Ketchikan.