"Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys"

The storm eroded about 300 feet of coastline, bringing the water that much closer to town. The loss of Hooper Bay’s dunes has potentially serious consequences.

Teams will collect data during plane and helicopter flyovers using lidar, a type of scanner that bounces light off of the terrain below to provide a detailed topography of the landscape. 

The Haines Borough says it is still unsafe for some residents return to their homes on Beach Road after a landslide swept through the area last month. But some homeowners say they need access so they can gather belongings and protect their homes from deteriorating while they’re unoccupied.

Last week’s storm and landslides revealed that much of Haines, where there are no building codes, wasn’t constructed with landslides in mind.

Each year, coastal communities in Western Alaska watch feet – even yards – of shoreline disappear into the waves. Now, a new online mapping tool will let them look at past erosion and see where coastlines might be in future years.