Petersburg Pilot -

A series of landslides hit Sitka more than eight years ago during heavy rain, with the largest striking a new subdivision and killing three workers. It prompted the community, led by the Sitka Sound Science Center, to set up a landslide warning system.

The system includes rain gauges and soil-moisture sensors spread around town, with a website that advises people of the risk level of a landslide.

It took about four years to develop the system — and a lot of federal grant money.

“We started when we had our landslide. We started calling scientists and asking: ‘What do we need to know ab...