ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Dozens of National Guard troops have arrived in Cordova to help the Alaska fishing town dig out from massive snows that have collapsed roofs, trapped some people in homes and triggered avalanches.
The city is used to snow, but not like this season’s blanketing.
The Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement.
“There’s nowhere to go with the snow because it’s piled up so high,” said Wendy Rainney, who owns the Orca Adventure Lodge. A storage building for the lodge — which offers fishing trips, hiking, kayaking and glacier tours — partially collapsed under the weight of the snow, she said.
“This is more quantity than can be handled.”
At least three buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed and six homes are deemed severely stressed by heavy wet snow, officials said.
The drifts are 12-14 feet high, but most roofs in town have been shoveled, said Chris Dunlap, a Cordova resident who was manning an empty Red Cross shelter early Monday.
“It’s a lot of snow. I’ve lived here 33 years and this is the most snow I’ve ever seen,” she said by phone. “The thing I’m impressed most with is we haven’t had any injuries. Maybe a few back strains from all of the shoveling. But we have a very, very efficient, professional emergency staff here.”
The city has set up a shelter at a local recreation center but said people leaving homes in avalanche-risky areas have been staying with other residents. Cordova spokesman Allen Marquette said the town also was ready to set up a pet shelter if necessary.
The town issued a disaster proclamation last week after three weeks of relentless snow overwhelmed local crews working around the clock and filled snow dump sites.
“We had no alternative but to declare an emergency,” Cordova Mayor Jim Kallander said. “It became a life-safety issue.”
Responders said Sunday that rain fell overnight, making for a slippery, treacherous mess in the Prince William Sound community of 2,000 year-round residents. The region has been pummeled by snow, but Cordova is of particular concern because there is no road access to the town, only boat and plane passage, said Maj. Gen. Thomas Katkus, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard.
There have been no reported injuries, but bad weather has prevented the Guard from flying to the town, 150 miles southeast of Anchorage.
More than 70 Guard members arrived in Cordova by state ferry Sunday. About 50 of them will help clear roofs, roads, boats. The rest will provide other assistance. Three state emergency workers were already in town to help with emergency response planning. The state also is working on bringing in more heavy equipment to Cordova.
Katkus said Guard members will be on hand for up to two weeks. “This is an ongoing operation,” he told reporters Sunday.
An avalanche brought snow and debris down on a section of the Copper River Highway, the 12-mile link from the town to the local airport. State transportation officials said a secondary road was opened to two-lane traffic while crews cleared the highway Sunday.
Another storm that started Saturday also brought rain, which soaked into the snow, weighing it down.
Classes were to begin later than usual Monday, but officials said students should go only if parents are comfortable with them venturing out.
Some roads have been cleared, but residents also are being creative, traveling on foot and by skis and snowshoes, officials said.
The National Weather Service said the snow depth at the airport measured 59 inches before the rain fell, weighing the level down to 47 inches. Monday was supposed to be clear before another system moves in Tuesday, bringing more snow and rain, as well as winds as strong as 40 mph.
“This break in the weather is very critical and very fortunate,” meteorologist Don Moore said.
Associated Press radio reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this story.
Breaking News….
It snowed a lot in Alaska in January…..
What a boring VIDEO. That’s the best U can do BDN? Jeeeeeeeeez
That may not be the worst home video I have ever seen but it is certainly in the top five.
Al Gore just sold twenty million more dollars worth of carbon credits due to this obvious result of global warming.
If you paid attention to what the scientists say instead of covering yoru ears and asying na-na-na-na every time global warming comes up, you will find that intense storms with lots of precipitation are one of the signs of golobal warming, a sign they have been talking about for years. When Florida is under water, you will still be denying, won’t you?
If you didn’t wait in breathless anticipation for the next info blurb from the IPPC, you would be able to stand back and see it for what it is.
SCAM!
If it snows, it’s global warming. If it’s warm, it’s global warming. If it’s cold, it’s global warming. If it rains, it’s global warming. If it’s dry, it’s global warming. Kind of tough for people to not be skeptical.
Wow! Hope we don’t get anything like that here!
Let’s just hope we aren’t seeing the beginning of a mini ice age because this is exactly how they start. Snow upon snow upon snow. You think global warming is bad try being buried under 30 feet or forty feet of snow. It could happen as easily as Katrina happened, as easily as the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.
Yes, we are having unbelievable warmth across much of the Northeast for months now. Even last winter, with its substantial snow, was actually above normal temperature-wise.
Regardless of why we’re warming, it most certainly is doing so, snow or no snow.
Does the Earth heat up, cool off, etc. we can’t deny that one with a straight face. But to think we not only know why but are able to control it is simply delusional. Actually Earth is cooling off because of a reduction in solar flares, sunspots, and other radioactivity on the Sun and from other celestial sources because of our current location in our orbit in the Milky Way. Water is warmer in some parts of the world compared to the past hundred or so years by a degree or two, but projected temperature increases have not materialized. All that’s left of global warming is superstition. Scientists have come up with hypotheses to explain why the projected global temperature increases never materialized. As I was saying, to think we not only know why but are able to control it is simply delusional.
You think scientists are wrong then quote science? Seems a bit hypocritical to me. Austrailia was one of the biggest deniers, being a coal economy, but getting hit with the results of global warming more intensly then any where else it the world, they have recognized it and are trying to do something. Until it starts hitting wallets though, people will deny it.
I cringe but I am an extremely highly trained physicist with postdoctoral credentials and hands on experience in biochemistry, theater arts, pyrotechnics, microbiology, neurophysiology, quantum physics, logic, philosophy, pharmacology, psychiatry, social work, psychology, counseling forensics, forensics, criminal law, civil law, Maine State government, U.S. government, comparative religions, human rights, eugenics, cryonics, culinary arts, cryptography, genetics, civil and electrical engineering, aeronautics, professional literature and editing, deep surveillance, hydrodynamics, 4th, 5th, and 6th predictions in the 3rd and 4th dimensional platforms, and Leadership.
I have some experience with scientists and have read published and private literature on global warming. I’m not saying that my opinion is more important than yours. I’m just saying that global warming is another lie that separates your well being from my ability to help you realize it. And of course they’re setting you up for another screwing I won’t bother to help you with unless you ask for it.
So THAT’S where all of our snow is………
Uh huh. We are snagging all the pacific northwest storms this year.
In just a few short weeks the equivilent of three Bangor winters worth of snow has fallen there. No wonder they call it “The Last Frontier”. Emergency shipments of Aleve and Bengay are being requested by the mayor.