- Last November, a landslide occurred on Wrangell Island in southeastern Alaska, killing six people, including a family of five.
- The Wrangell community is gradually returning to normalcy in preparation for the upcoming tourist and seafood processing seasons.
- Alaska faces the threat of more landslides due to an increase in heavy rain.
Jamie Roberts and her husband felt lucky when they found an A-frame cabin on forested Wrangell Island in southeastern Alaska where they could settle on several acres and raise chickens.
The only road into town, a highway a few miles north, made her nervous. Waterfalls cascaded there, and on stormy days rocks tumbled from towering cliffs. However, she always felt safe in her home, where she has lived for over 20 years.
Everything changed on the night of November 20, after heavy rains sent mud and trees cascading down the mountainside next to the house, cutting the area all the way to the sea. Six people died, including a family of five. Two houses were demolished. And filled the highway.
Death toll rises to 3 in Alaska landslides.3 others still missing
The landslide was not as large as the one that wiped out a neighborhood in Oso, Washington, 10 years ago Friday. But it also left the community unmoored, wondering if the dramatic landscape above is as permanent as it once was.
This photo shows a helicopter arriving near the Jimobia Highway where ground teams, including search and rescue dogs, were actively searching after the deadly landslide that occurred on November 22, 2023. Last November, a landslide occurred on Wrangell Island in southeastern Alaska, killing six people. Family of 5. (Willis Warunga/Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, via AP, File)
Roberts and her family have moved out of their home and are only returning for short visits.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep very well if I go back there,” she said.
Life in Wrangell, once a logging town, is returning to some sense of normalcy. Summer tourism and seafood processing season is upon us, and the boys varsity basketball team competed in the state tournament this month. The highway was rebuilt.
But even on recent days, trees and other debris still dotted the mudflats and snow-covered lower parts of the ruins.
The scars are visible from the driveway of Stephen Todd’s waterfront home. Todd, his wife and his dog Festus lived near town after the slip and fall, but returned last month.
Biologist Todd said there had previously been “no signs of instability” on the slope. “I mean, it’s rugged country, and everything in Southeast Alaska is rugged.” He and his wife don’t stay home when heavy rain is in the forecast.
Rain is part of life in this region, which is largely surrounded by temperate rainforest, the Tongass National Forest. Communities have long lived with the risk of landslides. In Alaska’s capital, Juneau, the downtown core and tourist attractions are built into or located at the base of a mountain. Thousands of landslides have been recorded in the Tongass, but fatalities are relatively rare.
But as the climate warms, heavy rain is expected to become more frequent in this region and other parts of the West Coast, increasing the risk of landslides. Researchers blame atmospheric rivers for landslides in southeast Alaska that killed three people in Sitka in 2015 and two in Haines in 2020.
After the Wrangell landslide, the state installed drone operations and weather instruments on Roberts’ property to help authorities identify warning signs. His second weather station is planned on the ridge above.
State and federal agencies expect more high-altitude weather stations to be established in the region. The National Weather Service uses soil analysis by geologists to better understand how much rain increases the risk of landslides in an area, and uses that information in weather alerts, said senior hydrologist Aaron Jacobs. He is thinking of incorporating it. But the work is intensive and it will likely take years to put it together.
Wrangell Interim Borough President Mason Birama said Wrangell is considering an online dashboard for residents that would use weather data to broadly assess landslide risk, similar to one developed after the Sitka landslide. . Most of Wrangell’s population of approximately 2,040 people live on the northern tip of the island. However, many of the homes further afield along the highway are built on slopes.
“We can’t tell people whether their property is safe or not. We want to make sure we give them the tools to make the right decisions,” Birama said.
Those killed in November were Timothy and Beth Heller, and their daughters Mara, 16, and Kara, 11. Her son Derek, 12, has not been found. His neighbor Otto Florschutz also died. He is survived by his wife, Christina;
Mr. Roberts, who coached Carla and Derek’s swim club, plans to take part in the race Carla wanted in her honor. The club recently celebrated Derek’s 13th birthday with 13 laps, cupcakes and sit-ups, something she said he would have enjoyed.
Fifth person confirmed dead in Alaska landslide. 1 not found yet
For a long time, the sound of planes flying overhead disturbed Roberts. She thought the landslide was the sound of a jet plane about to crash. Until recently, when she returned home for short periods to collect her personal belongings, she would close her eyes or lower her head to avoid seeing the scar.
The family moved four times in the days following the landslide. They have until April 1 to vacate their current rental property, but have not been able to find another home they can afford on the island. They anticipate having to sell their home and move out of state later this year.
Roberts has mixed feelings about the sale. She would be devastated if another family bought the house, only to be met with tragedy.
“Right now I’m at a stage where I’m like, ‘That’s not fair,'” she said. “But we get to choose what happens next, and others didn’t.”
