Tumultuous winds tear up the town

WASILLA— Powerful winds have been ravaging the Mat-Su Valley, resulting in the closure of public schools, stores, and other establishments.

The severe storm has also caused numerous cases of structural damage, vehicle accidents, and even temporary homelessness due to power outages, leaving many to think the start to 2022’s weather ranks among the worst in the state’s history.

“If this is how 2022 is gonna go, it kinda blows,” Black Birch Books owner, Taylor Jordan said with a laugh.

Like many business owners across the Valley, Jordan’s establishment underwent substantial damage due to the high winds.

“We’ve got about 100 feet of fence lying down, trees and branches piled three feet high along the entire perimeter of a two-acre fence line… Pretty much the entire landscaping got trashed,” Jordan said. “Honestly, most of the time I couldn’t tell if it was the wind or if we were having an earthquake because the house was shaking so much. So, I had a little 2018 PTSD.”

The damage was unbiased and struck different corners of the Valley with varying degrees of severity. Some facilities were spared entirely while others lost a fair amount of shingles or even parts of chimneys. Some places like the KFC/A&W restaurant showcased some of the most prominent examples of the sheer force Mother Nature reckons with, losing an entire side of the building to the wind. There were even cases of sheds and semi-trucks being blown across the Park Highway, leaving tattered pieces of debris and flashing emergency response vehicles in their wake.

“I mean, it’s nuts,” Jordan said.

Over in Palmer, the wind’s toll was just as evident as Wasilla. Places like Fireside Books and the Kolosky Building were completely shut down due to hazardous weather conditions. Dark windows struck an obvious contrast to the daylight with most of the surrounding cityscape looking much the same.

“This is crazy,” B Bella Hair Design owner Betty Hansen said.

Hansen said that she closed her salon located within the Kolosky Building both Sunday and Monday. She compared the current conditions to those displayed during the infamous Alaskan storm of the later 1970s.

“The wind was so bad I decided not to open. I rescheduled my clients. We just decided to make sure everybody stays safe and stays home. We can make them beautiful another day, and we will let me tell you,” Hansen said.

MyHouse Mat-Su Homeless Youth Center Executive Director Michelle Overstreet said they sheltered several local youths at their main office in downtown Wasilla who lost power in the storm.

“We’re staying in touch with everybody and getting food to people that need food,” Overstreet said.

Overstreet also referred to the storm of the late 1970s when she was in the eighth grade, remembering how the howling winds affected everyone.

“We had the similar high, high winds. Everybody tried to keep their roof on and their wheels on the ground. It’s very, very similar,” Overstreet said. “My mom raised us well enough to keep our pantries full should we get into a situation like this, but good lord, enough already.”

The American Red Cross is operating emergency shelters at the Menard Sports Center and Palmer Junior Middle School (as of Jan. 3).

“So far, so good. We have a lot of support,” Overstreet said. “That’s going to be a great place to connect with resources and services.”

For more information about current, local weather advisories and storm information, visit ready.matsugov.us/pages/severe-weather.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com