Landslides Affect Cruise Tourism in Alaska

Several landslides has closed the cruise ship dock in Skagway, Alaska, for the summer. This leads to many cruise ships skipping the tourist-dependent port. This is reported by Anchorage Daily News.

The first landslide occurered in June and was followed by two more last week. No one was injured.

In mid-July, a geotechnical and environmental consulting firm showed significant risk of catastrophic failure of the mountainside above the dock that poses great risk to life and property.

The municipality issued an emergency declaration following the latest landslides, citing the need to shore up the slide-damaged areas and the loss of more than 100,000 cruise passengers to cancellations and rescheduling. The city is seeking assistance from federal and state agencies.