Timeline: A decade of deadly and destructive Alaska landslides

Over the past decade, landslides have exacted a mounting toll on Alaska communities.

Sunday’s deadly landslide in Ketchikan brings the number of people killed in Alaska landslides over the past decade to 12. Beyond a human toll, landslides have damaged millions of dollars in homes and infrastructure across the state. Scientists say climate change is expected to fuel the extreme rainfall events and storms that could lead to more such events.

August 2015: Sitka

Heavy rains set loose more than 40 landslides in the Sitka area. One, on Sitka’s Harbor Mountain, stretched 1,200 feet across, swallowing a home under construction and killing a city building official and two brothers hanging drywall in the house. The slides led a group of Sitka residents to establish a landslide warning system, the first of its kind in Alaska.

February 2020: Ketchikan

A middle-of-the-night rockslide seriously damaged Tatsuda’s IGA, a historic Ketchikan grocery store, leading to its closure after more than 100 years in business.

December 2020: Haines

An atmospheric river soaked Haines, and record-breaking rain fell on snow, leading to landslides and widespread flooding. One landslide, on Beach Road, killed two young Haines residents.

August 2021: Denali National Park and Preserve

The formerly slow-moving Pretty Rocks landslide — intersecting with the park road — accelerated dramatically during the summer of 2021, moving up to two-thirds of an inch per hour. Park officials closed the road west of the landslide, saying the slide movement made it unsafe.

August 2022: Skagway

Rocks fell from a steep slope directly above Skagway’s cruise ship dock, causing the rerouting of some ships and threatening the economic lifeblood of Skagway at the height of tourism season.

May 2022: Seward

Torrential rain preceded a landslide that buried Seward’s Lowell Point Road, cutting off access to roughly 200 people at homes and campgrounds. Stranded visitors were taken by boat to Seward.

September 2022: Juneau

A landslide in downtown Juneau damaged a home and cut utilities, underscoring the risk of slides to some historic areas of the city. No one was injured.

November 2023: Wrangell

A devastating landslide swallowed multiple homes near Wrangell. Six people were killed, including five members of the same family, making the slide the deadliest in recent Alaska history.

July 2024: Juneau

A landslide on Gastineau Avenue in downtown Juneau — near the site of a 2022 landslide — damaged an apartment building, displacing seven people.

August 2024: Ketchikan

A landslide in downtown Ketchikan killed one person and injured three, according to initial reports from officials. The landslide damaged several homes and forced evacuations.