First joint swift water operation in Alaska

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER 4am Monday- Saturday night at the height of the flooding in Houston, 18 dive rescuers were knocking on dozens of doors past midnight, some wading through waters chest-high, giving Houston residents one more chance to get out in case the way out became impassable.

"Within 24 hours or less, we had the three strongest agencies in this part of the state working together. It wasn't mandated. It was local resources creating a partnership," said Tim Kelahan, water rescue chief with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The operation put together MAT-SU water rescuers with Anchorage rescuers and rescuers from JBEAR, or Joint Base Elmendorf and Richardson. Kelahan called the operation in the flood waters of the MAT-SU, the first joint swift water operation in the state.

In this, Alaska is ahead of most of the other states. Over the course of the flooding, the dive rescuers were dispatched on most of the emergency calls.

"It's a good partnership," said Greg Russell, the training chief of JBEAR. "We share each others resources." Both men give credit to the chiefs of each emergency services department for supporting the special operations of water rescue.

"Special ops gets the least amount of calls, the most hazardous jobs. We cost the most. And it's easy for elected officials to cut us. Instead we're getting support, and people are seeing the payoff here," Kelahan said.

Recent funding increases for the special rescue teams from the Assembly helped update equipment such as drysuits. The MAT-SU Water Rescue Team has 30 active members.

As day four of the declared disaster marches on, new road updates include:
A rockslide closed a southbound lane on the Glenn Highway Sunday night near Long Lake at mile 85.
Deneki Meadows Subdivision, a bridge out on Michelle Drive.
Creekside Drive is washed out.
Buffalo Mine Road is cleared.

In Houston, 29 soldiers with the National Guard filled 3,000 sandbags Sunday. The 50-pound sandbags were deployed to strategic sites such as an electric substation. The Guard also distributed them to the public. Some 2,900 unfilled sandbags remain at the Dept. of Transportation sand lot in Willow.

For a comprehensive list of road closures and maps, check the Borough Web site at www.matsugov.us

The next press release will be after 8am Monday.