Three people are unaccounted for as Sikta is being affected by multiple landslides and a sinkhole Tuesday morning, prompting the Governor’s office to declare a state of emergency in the city, city spokesperson Sara Peterson told Channel 2 News.
Advertisement
The first 911 call about a landslide came it at 9:41 a.m. Tuesday, said Sitka Police Department Chief Sheldon Schmitt. A sinkhole was also spotted in the town. Gov. Bill Walker said he will travel to Sitka Wednesday to survey the damage. She did not know if the people were all together when the landslide occurred.
“This type of landslide is typical for Alaska, especially our communities that are in our mountainous regions”, Jeremy Zidek of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said.
“It’s pretty devastating on how fast something like this can happen”, Simpson, a retired commercial fishermen, said in a phone interview from a saloon. More rain was expected.
The City and Borough of Sitka has declared a state of emergency after heavy rain triggered at least three different landslides on Tuesday.
Sitka, nearly 600 miles southeast of Anchorage, sees heavy rain throughout the year.
Advertisement
A year earlier, two people at a U.S. Forest Service cabin near Sitka escaped moments before part of a mountain slid down.
