Alaska lacks resources to help communities plan around slide potential

Dec. 2 Beach Road landslide debris field. Photo courtesy of Alaska State Troopers.

The Dec. 2 slope failure at Beach Road that left two residents missing is at once tragic and unexpected, and also not at all surprising for Southeast Alaska, according to state geologists. The region is prime landslide territory and a changing climate-trending toward warmer, rainier winters-is likely to increase the frequency of…