Gov. Tony Knowles has declared a disaster emergency for south-central Alaska after the state's worst avalanches in decades stranded thousands of residents, cut power and killed a highway worker.

A federal designation would position the region for federal loans and other relief as government officials prepare to survey the area.

Knowles did not cite an overall damage amount in his disaster declaration, but specifically mentioned areas such as the Prince William Sound city of Cordova, where an avalanche last week caused $2.6 million in damage.

State Police say one person died and one escaped after an avalanche on the eastern face of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

The avalanche occurred Sunday afternoon in the "Gulf of Slides," a ravine on the mountain. Mt. Washington's peak, 6,288 feet, is the highest location in New England. The U.S. Forestry Service recorded gusts there of 70 mph Sunday, with visibility at one-sixteenth of a mile.