Manager hiring process to begin Dec. 21 The Haines Borough Assembly has agreed to engage the services of consultant Lenise Henderson-Fontenot, who assisted with the school district’s search for a new superintendent, to help the borough find a new manager. Henderson-Fontenot is offering her services on a pro bono basis in the wake of the recent landslide. […]
Search results
Posted inNews
Haines receives massive grant to expand behavioral health services post-disaster
Local agencies and partners at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau have two weeks to spend an unprecedented $1.4 million the state is channeling into Haines to assist with stabilization and behavioral health services in the wake of the Dec. 2 landslide. “Could you use $1.4 million?” was the text Bartlett chief behavioral health officer Bradley […]
Posted inNews
A 200-year weather event could happen in any given year, according to NOAA
The 200-year weather event that flooded Haines and triggered a lethal landslide on Dec. 2 has the exact same probability of occurring next year, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters. And a changing climate could mean the event is even more likely to occur in future years. More than 10 inches of […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
It has been an overwhelming, exhausting and tragic week in Haines. As I am writing this column I pray that by the time we print we do not receive more bad news. We are all glued to our devices for updates. Each time I receive a Nixle alert I hold my breath before opening it, […]
Posted inNews, Climate
Changing climate means more landslides in future, scientists say
Alaska lacks resources to help communities plan around slide potential 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 […]
Posted inNews, Housing
Evacuees worry about homes and when they will be able to return safely
After the Dec. 2 Beach Road landslide, more than 50 Haines residents were displaced when neighborhoods including Beach Road and the Piedad-Cathedral View area were evacuated due to landslide risk. On Saturday, additional residents elected to evacuate after an area stretching from Piedad to Picture Point was advised to prepare for a possible evacuation. “I […]
Posted inSoutheast News, Search and Rescue
Volunteers comb beaches for debris after ground search efforts suspended
Local volunteers are continuing to comb beaches for personal belongings and debris from the Dec. 2 landslide that left Haines residents Jenae Larson and David Simmons missing. On Monday, Alaska State Troopers suspended search operations due to continued rain and the likelihood of more landslides in the area. On Tuesday, the families of Larson and […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
I am proud of Doug Olerud
I am moved each time I hear Mayor Douglas Olerud speak at the recent daily emergency briefings. I was especially moved hearing him interact with Beach Road homeowners Tuesday night. He listened carefully and respectfully to each concern and repeated each speaker’s question back to verify that he understood the question before responding. He heard not only […]
Posted inNews
AP&T installs temporary lines to restore power to Lutak homes
AP&T crews restored power at about 3 p.m. Sunday to the 46 homes toward the end of Lutak Road that have been without electricity since late Tuesday night. AP&T operations manager Lance Caldwell said workers temporarily routed cables along the side of the road and the lines will be susceptible to future runoff. “Unfortunately, it will be […]