LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Recovery Teams Find 2 Killed In Landslide

By TOM HESSE and

SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writers

Two bodies have been recovered at the site of the Kramer Avenue landslide, and searchers said this afternoon that they were narrowing in on the site where the third victim is believed to be. 

City Building Official William Stortz, 62, went missing along with brothers Ulises Diaz, 26, and Elmer Diaz, 25, when the hillside gave way Tuesday morning following heavy rains. The risk of further slides prevented searchers from entering the debris field to look for the victims until Wednesday.  

Officials said relatives of the two men whose bodies have been recovered have been notified, but did not release their names.

The first body was found by a search dog around 8 p.m. Wednesday, and the second was located around 1:30 p.m. today, authorities said. During a press conference at the fire hall this morning, incident commander and Assistant Fire Chief Al Stevens told reporters that the search dog arrived with an Alaska State Troopers team on Wednesday. 

“It was able to locate the (first body) rather quickly upon arrival here in Sitka,” Stevens said.

Three additional search dogs were expected to arrive this afternoon. 

Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt said two excavators were at work today in the area where the first body was found, near the house that was destroyed in the slide. The Diaz brothers were believed to have been inside the house, at 410 Kramer Ave., hanging sheetrock when the disaster occurred.

Recovery efforts for the third victim continued this afternoon, as City Administrator Mark Gorman stood by to watch.

The suspected location of the third victim was on the opposite side of the site of the debris field where the first two bodies were found.

Fire Chief Dave Miller said crews were working to determine the best way to access the site. 

“They’re just starting in an area where the dogs hit earlier,” Miller said. “It looks like at this point they’re planning on working from one side of the slide to the other.” 

Stevens said the debris pile and the slope above it are still hazardous areas. A dam of logs and debris over 12 feet high was standing at the intersection of Jacobs Circle and Kramer Avenue.

“What we call the toe of the debris pile that is compacted down at the end contains a lot of mud, a lot of liquid and we’ve got to be very careful about that. We could potentially continue that slide farther down if we take the wrong log or something off of there,” Stevens said. “Public works is up there looking at the possibility of putting some very large boulders up there before we actually start picking through that area.” 

On Wednesday a group of Fire Department search and rescue climbers guided geologists to the top of the slide, approximately 1,400 feet above sea level. The destroyed Kramer Avenue house sat at about 400 feet. 

“(Geologists) hiked up with a mountain rescue technical team and actually got to the top in the clouds and the lead geologist with that team gave good news and bad news, as expected,” Stevens said. “The good news is that there is no more slough-off at the top of the mountain, the bad news is that it’s going to continue to slide, which is typical of all landslides. Along the edges there are overhanging trees.” 

The geologists cautioned Stevens about the right-hand side of the slide, opposite where the house was destroyed. Geologists and the mountain rescue team made another ascent of the debris field today to gather information. A half-dozen geologists from various fields and entities are working on the Kramer slide or other areas around town. 

Stevens said the debris field was still considered a hazard when crews began searching the area late Wednesday. The slide has settled and shifted to varying degrees since the initial fall on Tuesday morning.  

“We started working with still movement (in the debris field). We were very careful on the outer edges in specific locations where we could start looking,” he said. 

Schmitt said additional volunteers are on hand to monitor the area for risk to the searchers. 

“A lot of people are working, and teams are standing by, making sure it’s safe to go in to look (for the missing people),” he said.

While good weather was expected to continue today and part of Friday, National Weather Service meteorologist Joel Curtis told reporters of another major rainstorm forecast for late Friday.

“Tomorrow looks like a really good working day with nice breaks in the clouds in the morning, but then in the afternoon we’re going to see some increasing clouds from a brand new weather system moving out of the Gulf of Alaska,” Curtis said. 

The rain is predicted to start around 9 p.m. Friday with up to 3 inches in the forecast. Prior to the Tuesday landslides Sitka had 2.59 inches of rain in 10 hours.

“It looks like we’re going to be getting in the range of anywhere between two-three inches,” Curtis said. “What’s different about this event is it’s going to be spread out over much more time than the event that caused our mudslides and landslides around here.”

For that reason, Curtis is predicting a “slight risk” of new slides, but added that the new rain could cause movement where the slides have already occurred.

Stevens said the water line to the destroyed Kramer Avenue house was broken and continues to pour water into the recovery site. Crews are unable to reach the utilities at this time. 

“Well, we’ve got contractors that are slowly picking their way through this site,” Stevens said. “This is not a debris removal at this point. We are actively looking for the people. They’re picking up basically one log at a time and looking all under and all over that one piece of material so it’s a slow, methodical process and we have to be very careful.” 

As of today, Stevens said 117 city and fire department employees are working the slides with another 50 volunteers assisting. Private contractors are also on hand. More than 100 volunteers signed up to help, but the hazardous conditions limit the number that can be employed at the Kramer Avenue site, Stevens said.

“It’s just an unsafe area. I wasn’t willing to put that many people in an unsafe area,” he said.

Additional volunteer support for people affected by the disaster is being offered at Grace Harbor church.

Public Information Officer Jeremy Zidek said the Salvation Army and the Red Cross are accepting donations of food and personal items. The Red Cross has set up at Grace Harbor Church and can be reached at 907-347-5841.

Fire Chief Dave Miller said the need for volunteers and resources will continue until the third body is recovered.

“This is far and above anything I’ve seen here,” he said. “Did I expect it? Yes, I did – That’s the way this community is. This is a pretty great community.”

 

 

 

 

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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