All but one of the six roads that were closed from flooding have reopened. Johnson Drive in Willow remains under water and closed. All creeks and rivers are well below the flood stage, except the Little Susitna River at the Parks Highway, which is still near the flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.

FORECAST IS SNOW AND RAIN BEGINNING TONIGHT
Snow tonight and rain for Friday and Saturday is in the forecast for the Susitna Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

CONSTRUCTION NEARLY DONE ON ONE ROAD
Construction work on Kenny Drive continued into the night and is expected to be completed today. Kenny Drive is open. A new map is below here, showing the newly opened roads.

Western Construction works into the night on Kenny Boulevard, just a day after Willow Creek eroded the road to a sliver. The road work is expected to be completed today. See earlier post below. Photo by Stefan Hinman/MSB

Construction work on Kenny Boulevard last night in gold light. A dozer pushed native material away from Willow Creek to create a bypass route for the road as a temporary fix. Photo by Brayden Hinman.


FOUR HOMES AFFECTED BY FLOOD WATERS IN WILLOW
Emergency Manager Casey Cook reported that four homes were affected by flooding in Willow.

FLOODING ISSUES
When a yard is flooded, the well and septic system can be breached. The Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation has instructions on how to make your drinking water safe and on how to clean your well or fix your septic. Here is a DEC link to purifying water.
DEC Link on disinfecting wells.
Here is an overall DEC link to flood related information including how to handle mold and indoor sewage spill cleanup.

PIO Patty Sullivan, psullivan@matsugov.us
355-0103

A dozer pushes through a bypass for flooded Kenny Blvd.

Mat-Su Borough 4:23 pm, Sept. 30—Just a day after swollen Willow Creek took a bite out of Kenny Boulevard during heavy rainfall, a dozer is already smoothing out a bypass route to help free residents from overnight isolation.

Two vehicles idled in anticipation of the road reopening today at an expected 6 pm. Twenty or more residents live, visit cabins, or work there, said Casey Cook, Mat-Su Borough Emergency Manager.

Public Works Director Terry Dolan said the new route is not a solution to the erosion problem.
"We're making a bypass road farther to the right from the river, taking the native material and flattening it out and adding gravel appropriate for a road surface," Dolan said. "This is not a solution to the erosion problem. It's in a flood zone, so there isn't an easy solution to this. It's not a borough-maintained road."

Six roads were closed last night due to rivers and creeks reaching or surpassing flood levels and spilling onto roadways. Another road has been added to the list of trouble: Trapper Creek is now flowing over the top of Trappers Drive in Trapper Creek just north of Petersville Road, said Dolan at 5 pm. The water depth is approximately eight inches. Trappers Drive remains open to traffic at this time.

Dolan said these roads have been reopened:
• Deneki Drive in Willow
• N. Burrows Street in Willow
• Kenny Boulevard by possibly 6 pm tonight in Willow

The roads that remain closed are:
• Romano Ave in Talkeetna
• W. Johnson Drive in Willow
• Oilwell Road in Trapper Creek

Emergency Manager Cook said an assessment found that four homes were affected by water on River Aire Drive, which was less than expected.

The Emergency Operations Center staff returned to their regular work this morning after river and creek levels dropped a foot or more overnight, and water receded from roadways. The EOC staff is on standby for Thursday night and Friday due to the forecasted rain in yesterday's flooded area.

Bottom Photo: In the EOC, left to right: Emergency Services Director Bill Gamble, Water Rescue Chief Gary Klink, GIS Eric Goudey, Public Works Director Terry Dolan, Operations Section Chief Rich Boothby, and Emergency Manager Casey Cook. Photo by Patty Sullivan/MSB PIO.
For more information contact, PIO Patty Sullivan, 355-0103, psullivan@matsugov.us

-end-

Emergency Ops Center Deactivates in Mat-Su

Mat-Su Borough, Sept. 30, 10 am—Rivers crested and dropped a foot in places over night. Six roads remain closed as Mat-Su Borough Public Works assesses the road damages from water. "If the roads are safe to travel, the barricades are coming down," said Terry Dolan, Deputy Operations Chief in the Emergency Operations Center.

Borough officials are also assessing the number of potentially flooded homes and cabins in Willow and Houston. Last night the figure was up to possibly 10 homes in Willow that had water up to their foundations.

The Emergency Operations Center deactivated this morning, sending staff back to regular work, but remaining on standby for possible rain Thursday night and Friday.

Here is a link to a video of Kenny Boulevard today (Wed. Sept. 30) after the water dropped 16 inches, shot by Willow Fire Chief Mahlon Greene.

As of 12:45 pm, N. Burrows Street reopened.

Here is a link to the river levels by NOAA, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

The call center is deactivated until further notice. Updates on the MatSu Flooding event will be posted here and on the Borough facebook page.

Here is the latest road closure map Sept. 30 with the only changes being the removal of some flood reports at river gauges.

"Because this not a declared disaster, there's no emergency funds. The biggest challenge now will be paying for road repairs," Dolan said. "Kenny Boulevard, alone, will likely cost tens of thousands of dollars."

Patty Sullivan, PIO, Mat-Su Borough, 355-0103, psullivan@matsugov.us
-end-

Flooding at 10 homes, Six Roads Closed

Mat-Su | Patty Sullivan | Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Six roads are closed in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough from flooding. Up to 10 homes or cabins in the Willow area of N. Burrow St. and River-Aire Drive are flooded or surrounded by water. Some of the residents have opted to leave their homes. 

In the Houston area, on Maid Marian Drive one home is at risk for flooding and two homes are near rising water, according to Borough Emergency Manager Casey Cook.

The Emergency Operations Center was activated at 2:30 pm Tuesday and continues to monitor water levels.

The National Weather Service has forecasting for when the rivers will crest at this link: Hydrology Link

Most rivers and creeks here are expected to crest between now and 6 pm Wednesday.

Please do not drive across a flooded road. It takes only a few inches of swiftly flowing water to carry vehicles away, according to the National Weather Service. Turn around don’t drown.

View a short video on Johnson Drive by EMS Chief Glenn Stevens

Johson Drive Sept 29

View more videos on the MatSu Flooding 2015 YoutTube channel.

A list of pet friendly hotels is posted for residents who may need to leave their homes.

The call center number is 907 861-8328.

The PIO, public information officer desk is (907) 861-8521

The emergency recorded hotline is (907) 761-3700

The Emergency Operations Center is closing at 10 pm tonight, Sept. 29, and reopening at 8 am. 

Flooding Map 11PM Sept. 29 

Pet Friendly Lodging 

—End—

Road Closures Map

Here's a new map by Borough GIS of what roads are affected by flooding. Six roads are closed. Several areas are reporting water on the road or near the road.

Hotels that allow pets

Mat-Su | Patty Sullivan | Tuesday, September 29, 2015

 

Mat-Su Borough Animal Care has compiled a list of pet friendly local hotels for residents who may decide to stay somewhere else overnight due to flooding. Here's the list.

The Borough has opened an emergency call center for questions beyond the road maps and updates on facebook and borough press releases. The call center is (907) 861-8328.

The Borough activated an Emergency Operations Center at 2:30 pm today.

pio Patty Sullivan 861-8521
Pet Friendly Hotels

—End—

Map of Roads of Concern in Flooding

Mat-Su | Patty Sullivan | Tuesday, September 29, 2015

 

Here is a map showing the roads where water may be crossing the road or rising to flooding level.  If you live near these roads please have a back up plan for tonight. Access may be limited if the flooding worsens. The weather forecast has rain turning to snow tonight.

Map where water may be crossing

—End—