Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage
Matanuska Electric Association has reported that the number of homes without power in the Matanuska Susitna Borough is down to approximately 500 from the 1,800 reported Tuesday night. High winds in the Valley Tuesday are blamed for the outages. The main cause is trees falling on the power lines. Residents are being warned to stay away from downed power lines, as they may still carry current. With winds expected to continue between 45-60 miles an hour through Thursday, many Valley residents are keeping emergency supplies at the ready and watching out for flying debris. Carole Vardeman, a manager’s assistant with the Mat- Su Borough, says every available crewman is out working on repairing the lines. She says on Tuesday, the highest gusts were clocked at 87 miles an hour in Wasilla. Blowing snow has impaired driver visibility and caused quite a few accidents.
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