KETCHIKAN, Alaska (KTUU) – A Ketchikan couple is thanking their lucky stars that they survived a massive landslide amid a rainstorm that pummeled their house.
James and Bill Montiver are full of laughter and positivity after they say a series of tragedies and miracles spared them from a landslide that tore apart a neighborhood Sunday in the heart of Ketchikan.
The slide took out four houses, Ketchikan officials said, and killed one person — Sean Griffin, a longtime resident who was working to clear stormwater drains when the slide took his life.
Evacuations in the immediate area have since been lifted.
Watch an extended portion of the interview above.
The Montivers were among the dozen or so people rescued from the debris, and both sat down Wednesday to tell their incredible story, including details on how they were days from closing on their home and moving out.
“I was just finished packing because they were supposed to come Monday …