Officials: Beware of contaminated floodwaters

WASILLA — Days of flooding and evacuations across the Mat-Su Borough have had emergency responders running ragged.

For frazzled homeowners, stopping those rising floodwaters and minimizing damage becomes a priority. While making repeated trips into basements and crawl spaces to save as much personal property as possible is a natural inclination, much of the water flooding area homes is likely contaminated, borough officials caution.

Because groundwater can pick up petroleum from roads and driveways, travel through leach fields and through buried septic and fuel tanks, most flooding events are handled as hazardous situations, borough spokeswoman Mary Brodigan said.

“The primary concern is keeping people out of the water because the water is so swift,” she said Friday afternoon as about 900 Talkeetna residents were being urged to evacuate. “Water being contaminated is almost always the case, too. Any time there’s a flood with septic systems, wells, parking lots, there are going to be contaminants in the water.”

And while borough Emergency Services personnel are working around the clock, so are professional water cleanup and restoration professionals.

Sean Ridlon is the Valley restoration supervisor for Taylored Restoration Services. He’s fielded dozens of calls from local homeowners and has been responding as fast as possible; however, those calling now are being added to a waiting list.

“It started about four days ago when the phone calls really started coming,” he said. “I want to say we’re up to 20 a day. There’s not enough sump pumps to go around in this town and people are having a hard time. Right now, it’s all groundwater issues. With the water table rising, a lot of people are having intrusions into their basements.”

Unfortunately, even with a working sump pump, there isn’t much people who already have water in their homes can do, Ridlon said. Because the ground is so saturated, anything that’s pumped out will likely find its way back in again.

“Right now, all you can really do is get a sump pump going (if you can) and try to maintain the levels of it and wait for the water levels to subside,” he said.

Ridlon’s been doing water restoration work in the Valley for 10 years and said this past week’s flooding is the worst he’s seen.

“It’s just catastrophic,” he said. “This is a disaster for the Valley.”

Gov. Sean Parnell agrees. He declared a state disaster for the Mat-Su Borough after touring flooded areas by helicopter on Friday.

Ben Crowley, Valley production manager for TCM Restoration and Cleaning, agrees with Ridlon, and urges people to be aware of potential contaminants in the water.

“It may look clear, but if it gets in your home it can cause problems fast,” he said. “You’re definitely not going to want to stand around in that water for any length of time without any protective gear.”

At The Home Depot Friday afternoon, a run on sump pumps left the outlet with only five left, said Dan Simonson, a customer service specialist in the plumbing department. He said the store had sold about 15 pumps earlier in the day and he didn’t think those left in stock would last long.

“They’ve been selling like crazy today,” he said. “By the end of the weekend, there won’t be any left.”

For those wondering whether they have insurance coverage for damage caused by the flooding, Palmer Allstate Insurance agent Cindi Heal has a simple answer.

“People know if they have flood insurance, because it’s a separate policy,” she said. “If you’re unsure if you’re covered, you’re not. You would be paying a separate insurance policy if you were.”

Saving valuables also should not be a priority in an emergency, Heal said.

“My message would be if someone calls for an evacuation, please leave,” she said.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.