The City of Ketchikan has evacuated 3rd Avenue, 2nd Avenue, 1st Avenue, and White Cliff Avenue due to a major landslide and potential for secondary landslides. Ketchikan High School has been set up as emergency shelter.
Schools in Ketchikan were scheduled to start on Monday, but will not be opening, due to the landslide. One person is said to have died, three were hospitalized for injuries, and several people were missing, according to local reports. Update 4 a.m. Aug. 26: All missing are now reportedly accounted for.
Monday midday update here:
The city is in the process of evacuating approximately 100-150 people in the surrounding area, according to reports. The weather in Ketchikan has been exceptionally windy and rainy.
“The low and associated front impacting the area will continue to hang over the southern panhandle for Sunday evening. Right now, the heaviest rains remain along the southern side of the front where we are still seeing heavy rain and strong winds. These conditions will start to diminish as we head into the evening allowing for improving conditions. But some wind and rain will be expected through tomorrow morning,” the National Weather Service said at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Ketchikan is Alaska’s furthest south major community, with a population of about 8,000. Fishing, tourism, and shipyard work are some of its main economic drivers. It is a naturally rainy community in the rain forest, with annual precipitation of about 140 to 160 inches of rain a year, much of it in the fall and winter.
In addition to the landslide, mud running under the pavement created some sinkholes around the area.
By 7 p.m. on Sunday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy had verbally announced a disaster declaration.
“All state agencies are directed to provide whatever assistance is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Ketchikan tonight,” the governor said on X/Twitter.
With climate change we have more clouds and rain as warm air collides with cool temperatures in the northern hemispheres causing saturated ground to give way and slide, expect more of the same. Source, NOAA.
If we all stop driving our cars and heating our homes this will stop? For the record, NOAA is right up there with the CDC.
Thank you for the meteorology lesson and predicting the future. I’m going to stop eating food, driving my car, mowing my lawn in the summer, using my snow blower in the winter, heating my house, shopping at stores, turning on the lights when it’s dark, watching my TV and using the internet. Now, that fixed your “climate change” problem.
It might shock some people to know, 150 years ago there were no volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, wars, or even thunderstorms. The earth was a peaceful and tranquil place. Then horrible Henry Ford colluded with the evil oil companies and nothing but death and destruction followed. But have no fear! NOAA and your all wise friendly big government folks are here to save you from yourself. Just simply give them all your money, power and freedom, and they promise to bring back utopia….
”No volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, mudslides”
Better stow those religious books away and look at real data, research the land of 10,000 smokes, all volcanoes in Alaska, by the way, that was funny.
And most of all face the inconvenient truth.
It has always been rainy and windy is SE. it’s part of life here, and has been since before NOAA existed.
And will be after it’s gone.
MA; The Southern portion of Alaska used to be further south, The Pacific plate plowing into the North America Plate making Alaska (Beringa) ., Example; maps had to be redrawn after mega thrust 1964 earthquake.
Alaska used to be warm and tropical, not cold and rainy like Southeast Alaska is now.
Continental drift has changed Beringa into North America, South America and Africa used to be connected, the evidence is conclusive with mountains of evidence and not because we wanted it that way.
Source; books, books and more books on Continental Drift, Geological Survey.
Whoa there 3rd!
So are you saying that the climate did not change, but the continent moved and we are now experiencing “climate change” because of that??
Southeast (as far as I have read) in human memory has always had lots of rain. I believe Ketchikan gets between 150 to 200 inches of rain a year. If you visit you will see tracks of old slides. Many residents there do not have a well, they instead collect rain water in cisterns for household use. You need a lot of rain to have enough water to supply a family.
Thank you for finally establishing the root cause of climate change! I suppose with the continents moving we will just have to ride it out, like our ancestors did, just in more comfort and style!
I was replying to MAs post, and yes as the continents moved so did the weather, geologists found that evidence. Earth is more than 6,000 years old.
I am sad that you operate under preconceived notions that have no basis in fact (6000 years??)
I understand your reply was to MA. I need you to clarify why events that happen billions of years ago and take about that long to make an actual difference, matter in this debate.
MA’s post was in response to your claim that climate change is responsible for that slide. You also claim we will see more of it because of the changing climate, which is incorrect as there have been recorded slides in SE for over a century. IF as you suddenly claim the continental movement is responsible however, then why are you worried about CO2 and fossil fuels? Make sense man!
I bet you also believe in the tooth fairy ?
Climate change is not about climate or weather!!
Most effective solution would be to strike directly at the “root cause” of the problem: Eliminate a substantial percentage of human beings. Wouldn’t you agree?
Alternate solution: Totally remove all power plants, except wind and solar. (Might be tricky to build solar panels and wind turbines, and build and maintain the grid, but we can obfuscate on that point…)
Either of these approaches can be accomplished in eighteen months. (I love arbitrary deadlines.)
JMARK, I agree, whenever I hear that tired old song about ” over population” from a brainwashed disciple of Paul Ehrlich, I smile and agree with them. Then I quote the late great P.J. O’ Rouke’s thoughts on the subject.
” WAY to much of you, just enough of me”.
The old story of Chicken Little is retold daily…
NOAA used to known as Chicken Little , and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The climate has been changing since the earth was formed and it will continue to change.
If any climate change activists care to look around, landslides in Southeast Alaska have been occurring for a very long time since the great ice sheets melted about 17,000 years ago. Landslide scars are on nearly every mountain slope.
For those who have never been to First City, large sections of it go nearly straight up.
There are a couple roads which make downtown Juneau look flat.
We build where we can, and where the various government agencies let us.
While tragic, simple truth is mudslides, landslides, avalanches are a way of life here.
MA, and what’s really weird is that K- Town gets more days without rain than does your beloved Juneau. That’s because when it rains in Ketchikan it don’t screw around like it does in Juneau.
This weather phenomenon is reflected in how the hearty souls of Ketchikan live their lives. Think Full Throttle baby!
Juneau is infested with drizzle and fog headed folks, damp but never really wet or dry.
I thought Suzanne knew her Alaska geography better than that. Dutch Harbor is further south then Ketcihikan, while Atka and Adak are still further south.
You got me. Two degrees of separation. – sd
NOAA was caught manipulating weather data several years ago in order to prop up their climate change narrative. Not a very trustworthy federal agency anymore, unfortunately.
It’s the weather, it’s always changing. How bout we focus on adapting to the changes and quit the handwringing about climate change. These types of events have been happening since time immemorial, the only difference is now there are people with smart phones to record it. Forget the blame game and help the people in need as a result of this unfortunate event.
Fairbanks prays for our good friends in Ketchikan.
🙏
The catastrophic 2 mm of rising ocean level has had more impact than I ever imagine.
I think a class action lawsuit against the whaling industry of days gone by is warranted. Heck….. even sue the surviving family members of wailers from days gone by. The whale oil lamps was the beginning of the end for landslides and erosion.
If we can expect people who never own slaves to give money to people who have never been slaves.
Why can’t we get money from people who never killed the whale?
I’m asking for a friend.
The rains in a temperate climate used to be milder. Now the rains are much heavier. Couple that with the type of soils prevalent in Southeast Alaska and you have a recipe for disaster. Alaska is not alone. California is losing land along the cliffs facing the Pacific Ocean. Sink holes are appearing inland. There is also a history of the lack of planning for the building of houses on the hills in both California and Alaska. These landslides are the result.
Not one mention of the Sun’s CME’s that have been happening quite often lately, this is the main cause of climate change World wide as oceans and lakes water is evaporated into clouds raining and hailing back down
on us fragile mortals of the realm. blame the Sun as it’s just doing it’s thing like it always has.
The best solution to “climate change” is for all “environmentalistas” to abort themselves. It’s really the right thing to do. The ones I have known were the worst polluters I’ve ever seen. Good riddance.
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