Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-2444

Landslide damages Ward Cove substation in Ketchikan

Oct 2026Published 18 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantOtherProvisionalNext update 18 Oct

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What happened

On Thursday 15 October 2026, at about 4 p.m., a landslide incapacitated the Ketchikan Public Utilities Ward Cove Electrical Substation in Ketchikan. According to the City of Ketchikan public information officer, rain and wind caused trees, rocks and mud near the substation to dislodge, and the slide moved the control house eight feet off its foundation. Electrical cables, the cable vault, the ground grid, concrete retaining walls and the security fence were damaged.

City officials said the 12 kilovolt feeder breaker, the battery bank, the station light and the power transformer will need to be replaced. Equipment inside the control house was not damaged, but the substation was unusable for the time being. Residents were temporarily redirected to the Bethe and Point Higgins substations. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough and City of Ketchikan mayors jointly signed a declaration of disaster on Friday 16 October. Nobody was reported injured. Repairs may take a series of months, with no firm completion date.

Contributing factors

Over six inches of rain fell at Ketchikan International Airport in the 24 hours to 4 a.m. on 16 October, and gusts reached 58 miles per hour during a high wind warning. Officials said the slope needs stabilising to prevent further slides, and the disaster declaration anticipates further slide damage with autumn and winter storms.

Lessons learned

Assess slope stability and landslide risk around substations and other critical grid sites, particularly where heavy rainfall and high winds are forecast.
Anchor control houses and equipment plinths so that ground movement cannot shift them off their foundations.
Plan temporary supply routes and spares for substations that cannot be quickly repaired, because a single site loss can leave a large area without power for months.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Source

ketchikandailynews.com

Published 2026-10-18. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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