Anchorage power outages extend to third day in wake of ‘extreme’ warm January storm

Hundreds of Anchorage residents remained without power for a third day following a rare January storm that brought record warmth and hurricane-force winds over the weekend.

Chugach Electric Association said the extensive repairs necessitated by Sunday’s storm may leave some members without power until Wednesday. Chugach officials on Monday encouraged members without power or generators to find somewhere else to stay, given the lengthy repairs ahead.

By Tuesday afternoon, several people had gone without power for 60 hours said they were relying on neighbors, wood stoves or generators. At least one resident in a home without power off O’Malley Road said her family didn’t have a generator and was concerned about staying warm Tuesday night.

By Tuesday evening, Chugach Electric was reporting about 280 customers without power, many in scores of smaller outages scattered around the city, with denser clusters in South Anchorage and on the Hillside.

[State says partly collapsed South Anchorage pedestrian bridge will be rebuilt]

“It’s unfortunate that it’s gone into a third day but ... the damage is extensive,” Chugach spokesperson Julie Hasquet said Tuesday. “That’s one of the things that’s happening in Bear Valley right now. There’s wires everywhere and at least one broken pole. We do have two crews up in Bear Valley and they’re not going to leave Bear Valley until that is restored. It could be tonight. It could be tomorrow morning.”

Anchorage fire officials urged residents without power to position generators away from and outside buildings and to make sure they have working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

The potent low-pressure system that spun into Southcentral Alaska late Saturday hammered the city with pouring rain and gusts that topped 100 mph at higher elevations. Uprooted and shattered trees damaged power lines, poles and other electrical infrastructure around the Anchorage Bowl.

Anchorage schools closed Monday due to power outages, as well as other weather-related problems, but reopened Tuesday. In Mat-Su, Susitna Valley schools remained closed for a second day Tuesday due to icy conditions, school district officials said. Anchorage municipal officials said Tuesday that they’re still putting together a damage assessment, though no major issues had been reported beyond a pedestrian bridge that partly collapsed onto the Seward Highway on Sunday morning.

Preliminary reports indicated mostly minor to moderate damage such as broken fences, torn roofing and other exterior issues.

A few homes were significantly damaged, according to Anchorage fire Chief Doug Schrage.

Anchorage Fire Department crews responded to nearly twice as many calls as usual on Sunday. The department issued an alert warning the public that responses might be delayed after the call volume forced crews to prioritize calls by urgency rather than the time they came in, Schrage said.

Officials said fire department calls on Sunday included nearly 70 involving power lines in some form — downed, arcing and smoking, or on fire — as well as four single-family home fires and just over a dozen requests for structural integrity checks.

Concerns for the safety of people staying in homeless camps led the municipality to stand up a new emergency warming facility on Sunday that reached capacity that evening. The center on East Fourth Avenue extended its hours Monday and Tuesday to open at 4 p.m.

The Spenard and Fairview recreation centers were open Tuesday with waived adult fees for anyone who needs to get warm or have access to power. The Spenard center also has showers.

The municipality is offering free disposal for any materials without metal or concrete: brush and branches, cut trees shorter than 6 feet, lumber and wood fence posts, and clean tree stumps. The service will be available through Jan. 31 at the Anchorage Regional Landfill Wood Lot in Eagle River and Central Transfer Station Central Wood Lot on East 56th Avenue.

Residents are encouraged to use the Hazard Tree App to report downed trees on municipal land for removal.

A new weather system moving into the region may bring light snow to the western Kenai Peninsula and heavier snow to the eastern Peninsula, the National Weather Service said.

It’s possible Anchorage could see some light snow Wednesday afternoon before the weather turns colder.