Deadly Landslide Hits Alaska, Prompting Emergency Declaration

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

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

"Friends, it is with a heavy heart we relay that a landslide in the city has taken a life, caused several injuries, damaged homes, and impacted our community," the borough’s mayor, Rodney Dial, wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. "As we work through this, please keep the affected families in your prayers and know we will do everything we can to recover from this event as quickly as possible and help those in need."

Ketchikan’s mayor, David Kiffer, said that he had “never seen a slide of this magnitude" before. "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,” Kiffer said. “The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes."

Following the tragedy, the state’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, took to X (formerly Twitter) to issue a state of emergency. "This afternoon, I verbally declared a disaster declaration for the landslide that struck Ketchikan earlier today," Dunleavy said. "All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight."

Landslides are typically caused when an area experiences a great deal of rain following an unusually dry spell. Though Ketchikan usually sees around six inches of rain each August, this year it’s only experienced about three inches of precipitation. During August 24 and 25, however, heavy rains pounded the region, with some areas of higher elevation seeing as much as nine inches. More rain is expected in the coming week.