Residents assess damage after landslides and high winds hit Elfin Cove

“It almost looks like a tornado came through, because the wind was just ripping the trees down and across things. So there’s one house that was completely obliterated. Several, several trees. We can’t even get to it to see how many… landed on it,” said resident Tyler Magart.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

The damage pattern in Elfin Cove—wind-thrown trees onto homes, boardwalks, and power corridors, along with isolated slides impacting access—echoes recent events elsewhere in Southeast Alaska:

• In Haines, heavy rain triggered multiple landslides that blocked roads and damaged infrastructure. One slide buried the Haines Highway and temporarily stranded motorists before DOT cleared the route the same day (Slide buries highway, strands residents).

• Continued rain in Haines led to evacuations and homes lost to mudslides, highlighting risks to neighborhoods near steep slopes (Dozens of Haines residents evacuated from their homes as rain and landslides continue).

• A record-breaking storm there combined heavy rain with a deep snowpack, causing deadly slides, widespread utility outages, and road damage (Landslides and flooding after a record-breaking storm).

• Scientists have warned that warmer, wetter winters are likely to increase landslide frequency in Southeast Alaska, underscoring the value of slope-stability awareness in community planning (Changing climate means more landslides in future, scientists say in wake of Haines disaster).

• High winds have also caused significant power disruptions elsewhere in the region. In Ketchikan, trees blown onto lines severed the city’s connection to the Swan Lake hydro project, requiring temporary diesel generation while crews repaired the corridor (High winds severed Ketchikan’s connection with the island’s largest hydroelectric dam on Friday).

Taken together, these posts show a regional pattern: storm-related treefall and slope failures can quickly impact homes, boardwalks/roads, and electrical infrastructure. The aerial assessment and right-of-way work described here align with the kinds of rapid DOT responses documented in Haines, and the wind-related power issues mirror the Ketchikan experience.