Winds die down, but cold temperatures, wind chill still a hazard

Winds died down Wednesday in Palmer but were still whipping is areas nearby, such as the Palmer-Fishhook Road. Chris Rose, in Sutton, said power seems mostly restored in the area but that roads were treacherous due to “black, or unseen, ice on pavement.

The high winds came after two days of freezing rain, which also came after two days of snowfall. When temperatures dropped and the winds hit the Glenn Highway was glare ice, Rose said.

“This is the worst I’ve seen things in 30 years. Roads are in bad shape. As soon it’s sanded the wind takes the sand off and you’re back to glare ice,” he said.

Rose said most people in Sutton were able to keep their homes warm with wood stoves and propane stoves for cooking, so the power outages seemed a bearable inconvenience for most of his neighbors, Rose said.

He praised the Matanuska Electric Association crews and workers from other utilities for getting power restored under extremely difficult conditions.

For city of Palmer officials the well-being of residents is top priority. The city asked the Alaska National Guard to deliver pallets of bottled water, which was done, city manager John Moosey said.

Water bottles are available at Palmer’s MTA Event Center near the Palmer Junior Middle School.

Even though winds have somewhat died down temperatures are still low and there is danger from wind chill and hypothermia.

Moosey urged anyone needing assistance to call the borough’s Emergency Operations Center at 907 861 8500 during working hours or 907 355 9818 after workin

A major concern for the city is potential damage and exposure to cold weather on the city’s water tower, which is near MatSu College, Moosey said.

The tower itself appears intact, and still holding water, but insulation and some other parts were blown away. There may be other damage but the city hasn’t been able get inspectors onto the structure, he said.

Damage to buildings at Palmer’s city-owned airport also appears to be light although some private planes not inside protected buildings were damaged.

Some city vehicles suffered damage and dumpsters were blown around.

There was damage to private buildings in Palmer including the Carrs/Safeway grocery store, which remains open for business even though damaged. Signs were blown off buildings and some glass windows blown in, but there have been no serious injuries so far.

Matanuska Electric Association says it is on track to restore power to all residents in the Mat-Su service area by Friday.

By Tuesday evening the number of Mat-Su residents without electricity was down to 6,300 from 18,000 24 hours earlier, MEA spokesperson Jennifer Castro told the Matanuska Susitna Borough Assembly.

Repair crews were focused late Tuesday on the Lazy Mountain area where there was extensive damage to power lines as well as the Sutton, Talkeetna and Big Lake areas, Castro said in a briefing for assembly members.

Castro said MEA has received several hundred photos of trees on power lines and other hazards which has helped crews target high-priority problems. She thanked MEA’s line crews, contractors and crews from Chugach Electric Association in Anchorage and Golden Valley Electric Association of Fairbanks for their response.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s quick approval of a state disaster declaration in the storm event has allowed the Alaska National Guard to mobilize to aid in the response.

Guard units are now helping bring in supplies and are helping move potentially endangered people from unheated homes to safe shelters, borough manager Mike Brown told assembly members.

Although winds are abating there are still cold temperatures and wind chill dangers, Brown said.

Ken Barkley, Mat-Su’s emergency services director, said several hundred calls for assistance were received. “There was not one 911 cal that waan’t responded to, he said.

“Most of the calls were on downed power lines,” which were sparking and creating fore hazards, he said.

There is still a major concern for exposure and hypothermia for people still without heat, Barkley said. To people feeling chilled in their homes, “if you call we will come and get you to a shelter,” he said.

Another major worry is carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of heating devices taken inside homes or even garages. “Do not take a generator into your home, or even your garage, or you will get carbon monoxide poisoning,” he said.

He cited one near-miss with a family of six with a generator in the garage.