Schools in Anchorage are closed Monday, with a few closed in other Southcentral Alaska districts, after Sunday’s high winds and rain caused damage and flooding across the region.
Anchorage School District officials announced the closure in an email early Monday. The district has also canceled all after-school activities.
“Although our crews have worked through the night, we continue to have schools without power, dangerous and unsafe parking lots due to extremely slick conditions, and maintenance issues within schools that have to be addressed,” district officials said. “Our ASD crews will continue working around the clock to fix these issues.”
In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, four schools — Su-Valley Jr./Sr. High and Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, and Willow elementary schools — were closed Monday, with the Glacier View School on a two-hour delayed start. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District listed the Cooper Landing School and Hope School as closed, with most others on a two-hour delayed start.
The school closures follow high winds Sunday that tore off roofs, toppled trees and led to widespread power outages. Many parts of Anchorage saw peak wind gusts above 65 mph, while winds in Bear Valley reached 110 mph. Meantime, temperatures crawled into the 40s, leading to flooding and icy neighborhood streets and sidewalks.
At 10 a.m. Monday, Chugach Electric reported nearly 6,000 members without power, down from a peak of 17,500 at midday Sunday. Crews were still working to restore power in Indian and Hope. The Matanuska Electric Association reported about 1,400 members still without power early Monday.
“We recognize some members have been without power for many hours,” Chugach officials wrote. “Our crews will continue to work as safely and quickly as they can until all are restored.”
A National Weather Service flood advisory for possible minor flooding in Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley south to Seward is in effect until noon Monday. The western Kenai Peninsula is under a special weather statement for possible wind gusts to 55 mph through early Monday morning.
Anchorage Municipal Manager Rebecca Windt Pearson said in a statement Sunday evening that officials were aware of limited flooding in Anchorage, including crested waterways in Eagle River.
Resources for impacted residents:
Here are the numbers the city is asking residents to call:
- If you are experiencing an emergency, dial 911.
- For general information or to report a non-emergency issue, contact 311.
- To report a power outage, call 907-762-7888.
- To report a dangerous tree, call 907-762-7227.
