ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ One body has been recovered from the site of a landslide in southeast Alaska, and the search continues for two other men believed killed.
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State officials say a second body has been found among the Sitka landslides.
Gov. Bill Walker was touring the slide in a Coast Guard helicopter Wednesday morning and planned to then take a ground tour, as well as meet with relatives of the missing men.
Heavy rain was blamed for a major landslide in September near the town that wiped out hundreds of thousands of dollars in watershed-restoration projects. He assured Senator Stedman and Mayor McConnell that the city’s disaster declaration would be addressed quickly, and that the state would dispatch the necessary personnel to support Sitka’s recovery efforts.
City officials have identified the three missing people as city building inspector and fire marshal William Stortz, 62, and construction workers, brothers Elmer Diaz, 26, and Ulises Diaz, 25. One body was found Wednesday evening in or near a home that was under construction, but it hasn’t been identified.
The body was found around 7 p.m. on the north side of the slide near the home debris by a K-9 team from Juneau, The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesman Jeremy Zidek said, noting the dogs have been “instrumental in the search”.
According to Yahoo News today, rain came down overnight which left the geologists surveying the area once more for safety issues before the search parties resumed.
– The National Weather Service is predicting more rain Friday, with two to three inches falling Friday night, and some gusty winds. Sitka, nearly 600 miles southeast of Anchorage, sees heavy rain throughout the year and more was expected.
Homes in town have been flooded, and there were reports of people not being able to reach their houses or leave their neighborhood, Zidek said. David Longtin, one of the workers, described the landslide later.
Ramon Hernandez says Elmer and Ulises Diaz are partners with him in Four Points Painting, a painting and drywall contractor in Sitka. “I think it’s fair for me to have a phone call with good news now”.
City spokesman Ken Fate said there is no time-frame for fully clearing the site, which he called a huge undertaking.
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“This has been a very sad week for the people of Sitka”, Walker said in a statement released by his office. Some other homes in the area were evacuated, but Peterson did not know how many residences or people were affected.
