Haines residents gather, overlooking the harbor and across the water the landslide can be seen in the distance (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
Hundreds gathered in Haines over the weekend for a commemoration and dedication event, one year since the destructive Beach Road landslide, and massive storm damage to roads, homes and livelihoods. KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports.
More than 200 people gathered at Haines’ boat harbor on Saturday for a memorial event honoring the lives lost and all those impacted by the winter storms.
“We are all just walking each other home.”
Haines’ Threshold Choir sang, and there were prayers and speeches, as the sun set behind the ridge on a cold, cloudless winter day. The scar of the landslide can be seen in the background, a massive force that swept away homes and killed Jenae Larson and David Simmons.
Pastor Matt Jones (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
“We’ve suffered a great deal of pain,” said Pastor Matt Jones with the Port Chilkoot Bible Church. “Some of you so personally. Some of you financially, in ways that the rest of us can’t understand.”
Pastor Jones reflected on the senselessness of the tragedy, and offered ways to find positivity and optimism in the memory of the two – Larson, as the Haines’ kindergarten teacher, loved her students, and Simmons traveled the world but loved Haines most of all.
“And yet through all of that in life, I know that through the pain, I’m still glad to have gone through the dance,” said Pastor Jones. “I don’t want to have missed that. Because if we miss it, then we don’t experience that depth of that love, the depth of that joy, or the peace that comes at the end of that hardship.”
Haines residents listening to the Haines Threshold Choir (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
Following the vigil was a memorial walk, about half a mile along the waterfront to Picture Point, made brisk by the 10 degree weather. The crowd included the family of those lost, friends, neighbors, co-workers and first responders. Among them, Steven Knight, a marine science technician with the US Coast Guard who was part of the search and rescue mission in the days after the landslide.
“It feels raw, like it hasn’t been a year,” Knight said. He made the trip from Juneau for the memorial on his own dime. “With all the folks here, its reminded me of the phrase ‘collateral beauty.’ So it’s good to have our memories, kind of how Pastor Jones was saying, remembering how this brought everyone together. And in the toughest times, Haines really stepped up.”
The memorial walk route went along Front Street from the harbor to Picture Point, made brisk by the 10 degree weather (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
He says he’s been a part of disaster response efforts across the country, and the way Haines community members came together last year was unique.
“You had folks who were clerks at the hotel, work in the Emergency Operation Center, you had folks who work in administration in the city that were stepping up to take roles that would normally be fitted or, plugged in with, actual emergency response personnel. And just to see everyday folks, excelling in response and recovery effort… it is very much a unique city in that way, and I’m blessed to have been a part of the recovery,” Knight said.
At Picture Point park and picnic area, the crowd gathered for a dedication of a long, hand-made community table. It represents the community coming together in the response effort, and in healing, says Haines Mayor Doug Olerud.
Mayor Olerud addresses a crowd of about 200 people at Picture Point (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
“It represents all that everyone has brought to the table. Many responded to our disaster last December, and many of them returned to join us today. I hope this table becomes a spot for contemplation, healing, friendship and renewal.”
Olerud thanked all those involved in the emergency response and recovery effort. The crowd listened, gathered around bonfires for warmth. He said the scars of the storm will eventually recede with time and new vegetation, and so will healing from trauma.
“The slides will take longer, but eventually they too will be hidden by new growth. Each of us knows also that the personal emotional damage we’ve suffered is harder to see,” Olerud said. “As with most trauma, many of us spend a lot of energy making sure no one sees that damage. Being vulnerable scares us. But to fully heal, we need to be vulnerable. The trees and grass won’t grow on the hard rock. No, they need the softer soil to take root.”
The new table is dedicated to the Haines community, the landslide scar can be seen in the background (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
Olerud offered words of wisdom for building resilience as a community, and for healing.
“I submit to all of you that our path toward healing is to become more like David and Jenae, to emulate the very best of their lives and our own,” Olerud said. “Be open to new ideas. Get to know people with different opinions and views than our own. Share time with others. Invest in our children. Let’s remove our armor. Bravely confront our pain and practice vulnerability. Let’s allow seeds of compassion, forgiveness, understanding and love for each other, to grow within us individually, and as a community.”
Haines community members gather over bonfires and hot chocolate at Picture Point (Corinne Smith/KHNS)
There will be two memorial benches, dedicated to Larson and Simmons installed in the spring, making Picture Point a space for reflection and community healing.
