Search dogs have identified an area of the landslide where the third missing man might be located, the government said in a statement.
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Two cadaver dogs helped lead rescuers to two of the bodies and were effective in pinpointing other areas of interest in the debris field, Stevens said without elaborating.
However, rain fell again overnight, and Zidek said the area would have to be re-examined Thursday to make sure conditions didn’t change.
The plan is for crews in Sitka to use heavy equipment to clear a ditch to divert away stream water that is washing over the debris to stabilize the ground, according to Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
25-year-old Ulises Diaz and 26-year-old Elmer Diaz, two men working on a house in the path of the slide, and a city building inspector, 61-year-old William Stortz, remain missing.
Sitka, Alaska, a city of about 9,000 people some 600 miles southeast of Anchorage, is a popular cruise ship destination, known almost as much for its near-constant rain as it is for its indescribably lovely scenery, says MSN.
The Gary Paxton Industrial Park Administration Building is surrounded by rain water, mud and debris after landslides Tuesday, August 18, 2015 in Sitka, Alaska.
Homes in town have been flooded, and there were reports of residents not being able to reach their homes or leave their neighborhood, Zidek said.
But crews were “searching carefully” where they could, city spokesman Ken Fate said.
Rivera says he played basketball and football with both brothers.
While in Sitka, the governor spent time with the families of the missing brothers as well as the family of Stortz.
Ramon Hernandez, who works with the Diaz brothers, is holding onto hope that the brothers will be found alive during the search. “I think he brought a lot to making sure we have safe homes and that will be a lasting standard that he’s left in our community”, said Stortz.
“There’s been plenty of phone calls with bad news”, he said.
“They are picking up, basically, one log at a time, and looking all under and all over that one piece of material”, Sitka Deputy Fire Chief Al Stevens said. Officials have not released the identity of the person found, pending notification of relatives.
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A state of emergency was declared in Sitka.
