Many displaced residents from the Beach Road landslide in Haines are trying to get a controlled access road built across the slide so that they can save their homes and property. So far, the Haines Borough has not allowed this, but has allowed residents to walk across the slide.
Every way we have looked at it, the cumulative risk of the current access is much more than the cumulative risk of building a rough road. With the current walk-in access many more trips and much more time in the slide path is necessary, and many things cannot be done at all (saving vehicles for example).
Residents of Haines are willing to build a road for free, and many displaced residents would feel safe enough to use this road. We understand the risk and liability of a road but believe it is much less than the risk and liability of the current situation. We are willing to sign waivers, use safety protocols related to weather conditions, and so forth, if a road is built.
The Borough-planned safety study will take time, and honestly we don’t think any competent geologist will sign off on the area being totally safe. Total safety will require major mitigation, and by the time that is done many homes and livelihoods will be lost. We would like to be allowed to build a controlled access road now.
Thank you.
Michael Balise, and 20 additional Beach Road residents and owners