Weather sparks searches, outages

MAT-SU — However miserable your day was with the rain, wind and slush on Saturday, be thankful you weren’t out searching for lost snowmachiners.

“It was horrendously horrible. It was raining, it was warm enough that snow was melting so it was very bad trail conditions, but it was still chilly enough with the wind that you were freezing if you got wet,” Houston Fire Department spokesman Christian Hartley said.

According to an Alaska State Trooper press statement, on that “blustery, rainy night,” in conditions so bad the AST helicopter was grounded, searchers set out looking for a pair of snowmachiners who’d become stuck on a trail north of Wasilla, possibly in the Houston area.

“They said that they had turned left onto a trail and the description that they gave led people to believe that it was the Bench Lake trail,” Hartley said.

That trail passes by Houston’s fire station on Armstrong Road, so searchers used that station as a home base with West Lakes Fire Department personnel and troopers running the show.

The search lasted from 5:14 p.m. when the riders were reported overdue until they were found at 2:30 Sunday morning. According to AST reports, they were somewhere near Bald Mountain Ridge. Though troopers, borough and city of Houston searchers, some on snowmachines, were out looking, the party that actually found them was made up of friends of the missing riders.

“Troopers would like to thank all who participated in the search and would like to remind everyone to be cautious and take survival gear with them on each and every excursion. Weather and snow conditions can change very rapidly and the Alaska State Troopers encourage everyone to be prepared for difficult conditions,” according to the trooper press statement.

The rescue was probably the most harrowing event of the evening, but the strong winds, warm weather and melting snow caused problems elsewhere.

“Mild temperatures mixed with rain had softened the ground and created a situation where trees were easily toppled onto power lines by the strong winds that hit our area overnight Saturday into Sunday afternoon,” reported Matanuska Electric Association spokesman Wes Lindsey.

All told, he said, 1,300 customers in areas from Eagle River to Butte to Willow lost power.

“Most outages were restored by early afternoon (Sunday), but crews worked well into the evening to restore several dozen members in areas across our service territory,” Lindsey said.

One place where there wasn’t as much mayhem was on local roads.

AST reports indicate a few cars in ditches but few, if any, major accidents. The level of activity seemed to be on par with most weekends. Wasilla and Palmer police press releases were likewise sedate.

Palmer Fire Chief John McNutt said the most dramatic event over the weekend was a car fire, something likely not related to the rain.

“I think Palmer fared pretty well,” the chief said.

In Wasilla, Central Mat-Su Fire Chief Michael Keenan likewise reported a run-of-the-mill weekend.

“It was just a regular weekend,” he said. “I don’t think we had anything out of the ordinary.”

In Talkeetna, the weather didn’t result in a busier fire department.

“There was a couple of vehicles off the road I noticed Sunday morning after the Bachelor (Auction and) Ball. But there was no calls,” said Talkeetna Fire Chief Ken Farina.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.