Sept. 25 flood recovery update 10:25 am

No flood advisories exist for the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys as MAT-SU property owners and road crews turn their attention to clean up. Yentna and Skwentna rivers are still in flood stage, but the Susitna, Talkeetna, and Matanuska rivers have dropped. Some 124 response workers for the Emergency Operations Center continue coordinating a response to the flood disaster but will begin phasing down today.

“The next step is assessment of bridges and infrastructure and painting it on a GIS picture,” said Tom Kurth, Incident Commander for an Alaska Type 2 Incident Management Team. “We also need that information flow for residents who want to know what to do next.”

DISASTER ASSISTANCE CENTERS

Soon, possibly end of the week or next week, Disaster Assistance Centers will open in communities to help property owners apply for a state grant through the State of Alaska Individual Assistance Program. For information only: Phone: 1-800-478-2337, Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Items that qualify are: primary residence, primary transportation, medical, and personal belongings. Documentation is key. Today will dictate where the centers open when the damage assessment returns. Interviews will be done.

A HOTLINE will be set up in the near future when the Disaster Assistance Centers are. Applying in person is easier for disaster assistance.

WATER QUALITY

Bottled drinking water is available in Talkeetna at the Warm Storage Facility off Comsat Road off the Talkeetna Spur Road.  

Water test kits will be handed out at tonight’s community meeting in Talkeetna and residents will be shown how to properly capture a water sample.

It’s advised to boil any drinking water in Talkeetna for now.

COMMUNITY MEETING TONIGHT IN TALKEETNA  

Tonight at 6 pm, the emergency response team is talking with Talkeetna residents at the Talkeenta Elementary School. Residents will hear what to do next with flooded basements, property loss, flooded wells, drinking water test kits, and more

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WEATHER

No flood advisories for the MAT-SU region, the Weather Service reports.  In the next 36 hours a new storm is coming in but not expected to raise rivers to flood levels. The Susitna Valley would have the heaviest rainfall at 2-4 inches through Wednesday.

The Skwentna River has dropped more than a foot overnight, the Weather Service reports. That translates into a lower Yentna River downstream. Yesterday, Sept. 24, the area had major flooding.

ROAD CREWS

Three road divisions are out, including bridge, road, and emergency repair teams. 9 roads are still closed, most of them along Willow Creek in the Willow Fishook area
1 road is at risk-Sushana

HERE'S SOME NEWLY OPEN ROADS

By 2 pm today foot traffic will be available across the Deneki Meadows Bridge... The Shirley Towne Bridge will take much longer to reconstruct.
Montana Creek Road-open
Ye Old River Road-open with water
Little Otter Drive & Lazer Drive-open and very rough

Sushana Drive-at risk of closing but driveable, water on it, be CAREFUL
Schrock Road-open

Willow Fishook Road at mile 26, Hatcher Pass-open

A new road closure map will be posted soon.

THE ALASKA RAILROAD

Crews on the Alaska Railroad have done tremendous repair work and are expected to complete work today to allow fuel trains north to connect Fairbanks to supplies

SHELTERS

Six residents remain at the Willow Community Center shelter. The other shelters were closed earlier in the week.

The Type 2 Incident Management Team may slowly phase out of this recovery period by Wednesday, returning the incident to the Borough.

For more information call PIO Patty Sullivan, 373-5378, Sept. 25, 9:50 am