The Anchorage Assembly voted in an emergency meeting Wednesday to extend Mayor Dave Bronson’s disaster declaration for last week’s massive avalanche near Eagle River.
The avalanche tore down a mountainside Thursday evening, covering Hiland Road and cutting off access to main roadways and knocking out power for residents of more than 100 homes. In response, over the weekend, the municipality evacuated the area and dropped explosives to try to prevent further slides. Officials began moving the snow off the road Monday, and have said it’ll likely take two weeks to clear the 80-foot wall of debris.
In an update ahead of the Assembly’s vote on Wednesday, Municipal Manager Amy Demboski said the snow removal was going well, and power had been restored to all but one home.
But she underscored that the Assembly should extend the disaster declaration because things could change quickly, and if the weather turns, there’s still risk of a second slide.
“Within an hour we could get a call saying we have to evacuate the area because the conditions have changed so much so,” Demboski said.
The disaster declaration allows the city to access emergency funds and evacuate the area on short notice if needed.
Before unanimously approving the extension, Assembly members inserted an additional requirement. The city must give the Assembly written updates on the avalanche by the end of the day each Wednesday.
The Assembly also voted to spend $1.5 million on overtime and contracting expenses associated with responding to the avalanche and clearing the debris.
Anchorage chief financial officer Travis Frisk says the city should get that money back from the state.
“We received indications from the state of Alaska that we will receive reimbursement for acceptable expenditures related to this particular emergency,” Frisk said.
The disaster declaration extended by the Assembly will expire on April 15.
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Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
