Crews work to restore power, clear roads, as others dig out from Christmas wind storm

For many, the 2022 Christmas holiday will be remembered for the gift Mother Nature gave Borough residents; a gift that many wish could have been exchanged as high winds walloped the area, causing road closures and power outages throughout the weekend.

Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) was hard at work all weekend as crews worked around the clock to restore power to nearly 20000 members from Talkeetna to Chugiak.

While power outages continued throughout the weekend, as of Monday morning, MEA posted to social media that power had been restored for the 89 members that were off of 49th State Street in Palmer, while other crews were working on outages in Eagle River and Eklutna, which was complicated with accessibility issues related to a large tree on the lines, as well as a few remaining in Point MacKenzie, with some members reporting they had been without power for 4 days. MEA continued to work on sporadic outages across the Mat-Su Borough as winds continued to pick up.

Many residents posted their gratitude and thanks to the crews who had worked throughout the weekend, missing their own holidays to ensure residents had access to power and heat while working in often dangerous conditions.

“Thank you to all the hardworking lineman!! You are all amazing! Can’t even imagine working out in this weather and you have been doing it for days!! You are very appreciated!!!” wrote Gezelle Lytle.

“The magnitude of the winds is not something uncommon to the valley but when coupled with the large amount of snow we received this month drifting conditions were untenable. The Borough was prepared to open shelters and one of the key considerations for the need for shelters is the number of residents without power for a prolonged period of time. Our thanks to MEA and their contract crews for working to restore power throughout the Borough as quickly as possible and under difficult circumstances,” said Mat-Su Borough Manager Mike Brown.

Meanwhile, road crews and residents have also been digging out from the snow drifts that resulted from the high winds.

“It is probably fair to say there are a number of residents and businesses that will be working to dig themselves out of their homes, driveways and parking lots,” said Brown.

He also reported that the City of Palmer did put forward a disaster declaration this past weekend that would allow for additional resources to clear city streets.

“The Borough’s road contractors worked tirelessly to keep roads passable even if only one lane at times. And we have a number of subdivision roads that require cleanup. The Borough did have to close Engstrom Road for a time and re-route traffic.”

Part of the Parks Highway near the Palmer-Wasilla Highway was also closed as a result of snow drifts creating hazardous driving conditions.

“I also appreciate the efforts of our road maintenance contractors and private contractors that are working to assist folks in digging out where a shovel, snow blower, or even truck mounted plow may not be enough. The forecast this week and leading into the New Year should provide us an opportunity to catch up this week.”

Indeed, while Monday will see freezing rains as a result of warmer temperatures, the forecast for the next several days thus far appears to be clear until the New Year’s weekend, which could present a possibility for snow.