Authorities on Friday identified those missing or killed in a landslide in southeast Alaska this week as five members of a family and their neighbor, a commercial fisherman who made a long-shot bid for the state’s only seat in the House of Representatives. Representatives of the United States last year.
Timothy Heller, 44, and Beth Heller, 36, as well as their children Mara, 16; Derek, 12; and Kara, 11, were home Monday night when the landslide occurred near the island community of Wrangell. Search teams found the bodies of the parents and eldest son late Monday or early Tuesday; The younger children remain missing, as does neighbor Otto Florschutz, 65, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in an emailed statement.
Florschutz’s wife survived.
Florschutz, a Republican who previously served on the Wrangell Port Commission, was one of 48 candidates who entered the race to fill the congressional seat left vacant when longtime U.S. Rep. Don Young died last year. He received 193 votes of the nearly 162,000 cast.
A helicopter arrives near mile marker 11 of the Zimovia Highway, where ground teams, including search and rescue dogs, are actively working to search for areas that state geologists have determined safe for entry on Nov. 22, 2023 in Wrangell, Alaska.AP
In a candidate statement provided to the Anchorage Daily News at the time, Florschutz said he was known for his ability to forge consensus.
“As a commercial fisherman for 42 years, I have worn many hats,” he said. “In addition to fishing, I have worked in elected office in the community, I have worked in boat repair, mechanics, welding, carpentry, business and much more.”
Beth Heller served on the Wrangell School Board from 2019 to 2020 after several years on the district’s parent advisory committee.
The Hellers ran a construction company called Heller High Water, said Tyla Nelson, who described herself as Beth Heller’s best friend since high school.
Beth and Timothy grew up in Wrangell and were married in August 2010, Nelson said.
The large landslide fell from the top of a mountain onto the road of three houses. AP
Nelson sobbed as she described her friend as a “fantastic human.”
“And she was a wonderful mother,” he said. “She did everything she could for those babies.”
Wrangell School District Superintendent Bill Burr said in an email Friday that counseling would be available to students and staff on Monday when classes resume after the Thanksgiving break.
“Losing even one child is a very difficult time and having an entire family with three students is devastating,” Burr wrote.
Search and rescue operations have been ongoing since the incident was reported on Nov. 20, 2023. AP
The slide toppled a swath of evergreen trees from the mountaintop above the community to the ocean, striking three homes and burying a road near the island community of Wrangell, about 155 miles south of Juneau. One of the houses was unoccupied.
The slide, estimated to be 450 feet wide, occurred during significant rainfall and high winds. Wrangell received about 2 inches of rain from early Monday through late evening, with wind gusts up to 60 mph at higher elevations, said Aaron Jacobs, a hydrologist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau.
The landslide isolated some 54 homes in the city. About 35 to 45 people have chosen to stay in the area, said Mason Villarma, interim city manager. Boats are being used to provide supplies including food, fuel, water and prescription medications.
Given the island’s geography — with the town at the northern end and homes along a 13-mile stretch of paved road — currently “the ocean is our only access to those residences,” Villarma said.
Authorities continued clearing debris from the highway on Friday.
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