1 person killed in Ketchikan landslide, multiple homes destroyed

A landslide in Ketchikan on Sunday killed one person, injured three others and destroyed multiple homes.

The landslide tore down a steep slope at roughly 4 p.m. above the Third Avenue Bypass, crossing the road and continuing downhill into the White Cliff neighborhood, a relatively densely populated area near downtown. 

Local authorities identified the man who died as Sean Griffin, a senior maintenance technician with the city of Ketchikan who was clearing storm drains in the area when the landslide struck.

“It was his commitment to the community that caused him to respond to the call for assistance during his scheduled time off,” Ketchikan’s city and borough governments said in a joint statement. “Sean is remembered for his dedication, positive spirit, and unwavering devotion to his family, his friends, and to the community.”

City and borough officials said three other people were injured in the landslide. Two were admitted to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries is unclear. A third survivor was treated and released, officials said. They said all individuals have been accounted for.

“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” City of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer said in a statement.

This is the fourth fatal landslide in Southeast Alaska in a decade.

Ketchikan experienced heavy rains on Saturday night and Sunday leading up to the slide. Officials urged the public Monday to avoid the landslide area, warning that it remains unstable.

“There will be no activity allowed in the slide area until after the area has been cleared by geologists,” city and borough officials said.

An evacuation order also remained in effect Monday for residents on Third Avenue, Second Avenue, First Avenue and White Cliff Avenue between Austin and Nadeau streets. A borough spokesperson estimated that roughly 60 to 65 households were affected by the evacuation order.

Ketchikan High School is set up as an emergency shelter with water, food and blankets. The Saxman Community Center has been identified as a second emergency shelter site. Some 12 people stayed at the shelter Sunday night, local officials said, with others stopping by to access resources.

The city and borough asked evacuees who need to enter their homes to notify the Ketchikan Emergency Operations Center at (907) 228-2383 before returning to the area.

The slide blocked the Third Avenue Bypass, as well as other roads in the area. Crews cleared downed power lines that were interfering with rescue efforts. The borough confirmed that power has been restored to nearby homes but power on First and Second avenues in the slide zone will likely be down for an extended period of time.

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough announced that a secondary area just south of the original slide has been identified that could pose a landslide risk. They said response crews are monitoring it. 

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration for the landslide.

“All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed,” he wrote on social media on Sunday. “My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight.”

The division’s State Individual Assistance and Temporary Housing programs are accepting applications from “survivors with damages or emergency expenses” related to the landslide, the city and borough said. Registration is available by phone at (844) 445-7131 or online at ready.alaska.gov/Recovery/IA.

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District canceled the first day of classes on Monday for all Ketchikan schools in order to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles. School is canceled through at least Wednesday, the superintendent said.

Kiffer, the city mayor, said in a statement that the loss of life was heartbreaking, calling for help to learn more about the slide’s underlying causes.

“With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our State geologist,” he said.

Sunday’s disaster is Southeast Alaska’s fourth fatal landslide in a decade, part of a history in the region that saw 15 people killed by a massive Juneau slide in 1936. More recently, three men were killed in a 2015 Sitka slide, two people were never found after a 2020 Haines slide crashed through several homes and six people died in last year’s landslide along Wrangell’s Zimovia Highway.

Researchers have examined Southeast Alaska as a result of those casualties, with a final report on the Wrangell slide linking it to excessive rain at the time. Scientists say climate change is driving that rise in rainfall, contributing to increasing landslide risks across the region. Scientists are also working to better map Southeast geology, which could help give greater warning of future slides.

A special borough website has been created to host further information on the Ketchikan landslide.