The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man stranded in the Keku Strait near Kuiu Island on the night of Tuesday, April 30.
The man – who rescuers declined to name – called Petersburg’s police department after an inflatable kayak containing all of his supplies washed away. He reported that he only had his cellphone and a small ammunition bag with him. As night fell, he said he was rapidly becoming cold.
The department contacted Coast Guard Sector Southeast around 9:30 p.m. The Coast Guard then issued an Urgent Marine Radio Broadcast and contacted the Alaska State Troopers and Kake Search and Rescue. Neither party was able to respond — the troopers were too far away, and Kake’s rescue boat is currently out of commission. So the Coast Guard dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a crew from Air Station Sitka at around 10 p.m.
The crew safely recovered the stranded man near Devil’s Elbow Cabin — a popular bear hunting spot — and returned to Sitka later that night.Petersburg Police dispatch received the initial call through an emergency satellite feature. Some of the latest iPhones can still make contact with a satellite when they can’t get a Wi-Fi signal or a lock onto a cell tower. Police dispatch in Petersburg and Wrangell are also capable of receiving text messages to 911 from areas where cell service is limited.
