The State Department of Public Safety has revealed the names of those who died in the landslide that occurred on Monday night near Wrangell.
Her body, which was discovered at the age of 16, Mara Heller was recovered that night. Her parents were aged 44, Timothy Heller and 36-year-old Beth Heller were rescued on Tuesday.
Three Wrangell residents are missing, which includes two more Heller siblings 12 year old Derek Heller and 11-year-old Kara Heller.
Otto Florschutz, 65, is also missing. The wife of Florschutz, Christina Florschutz survived the slide and is recuperating at the hospital in the area.
The next of kin have been informed.
The state Department of Transportation started clearing the landslide debris 11 miles to the south from town Thursday. The slide, approximately 450 feet in width, was able to slide down Zimovia Highway before it reached the water, damaging three houses and leaving 75 people without electricity. A lot of homes affected are also without internet and phone services.
DOT Spokesperson Shannon McCarthy says crews are taking debris off each side of the slide.
“We’re striving to restore the road,” she said. “That will allow those who live on the south to be able to get electricity again as well as allowing the need for emergency access.”
The search has been going on since the night of Monday, using helicopters, drones, K-9 teams, planes and sonar.
State officials have announced that teams have scoured all places they could without the aid of heavy equipment. The approach is shifting away from “an actively searching to an more reactive one.”
“We must move cautiously because it’s an emergency situation of search and rescue,” McCarthy said. “We have the search dog team and their handler on the watch to help us stop when we, as you can imagine have to restart rescue operations.”
McCarthy says that the state is working with local contractors to clear the fallen trees and mud from the road using large equipment. It’s only an issue of days – not weeks – before they can get one lane across. If they can find proof that someone is missing within a particular area in which they are searching, the search can be re-opened.
