ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Six people were missing in Haines, Alaska, on Wednesday after record rains triggered landslides that destroyed four homes in the mountainous southeast, state troopers said.
The landslide covered the area in 9 feet of mud, trees and debris, an Alaska state trooper said in a written statement.
Troopers and police evacuated residents by boat but a search for the missing was suspended late on Wednesday “due to rumbling unstable ground,” the troopers said.
A National Guard helicopter will fly in rescuers, search dogs and medics from Juneau on Thursday to continue efforts after severe turbulence prevented it from flying on Wednesday.
Also helping in the search and evacuation was the U.S. Coast Guard, which said it sent a helicopter crew and a boat to Haines, and has two cutters prepared to launch.
The government of the Haines Borough, home to about 2,500 people, has issued an emergency declaration for the storm that started on Monday.
“Rain is expected to continue,…