Flooding In South Central Alaska

Posted by Alan Sorum Oct 11, 2006

As with the last article I published at 101 about Outdoor Wilderness Survival Kits, I try to reinforce the idea that boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts need to be prepared for unplanned incidents occurring during their trips. Nature offers many rewards to us, but is unforgiving to the unprepared.

Valdez is located in the northeast corner of Prince William Sound. The general region from here towards Anchorage and Seward is known as South Central Alaska. Valdez's access to Anchorage and Fairbanks is the Richardson Highway. It is some 310 miles from Valdez to Anchorage and there are scores of bridges to cross to complete the trip.

Starting about a week ago, the jet stream shifted towards Alaska and started pumping warm, moist air into the state. In Valdez, we received more than six inches of rain in one twenty-four hour period, and much more than that for the week. Our home is in a subdivision that is located some ten miles from Valdez proper. All day yesterday, the community experienced severe flooding, at least three highway bridges were washed off their abutments, and finally last night the dike protecting our neighborhood was breached.

About 200 people were evacuated and crews were brought in to start filling sandbags. A big group of Coast Guard members came in to help the Fire Departement with the effort. This morning things look a little calmer. The State of Alaska has boosted the ferry service into Valdez to compensate for loss of highways access and Era Aviation has added an extra flight each day.

I think everyone will survive this event without serious injury and it will be interesting being cut-off from the rest of the state for the next few weeks. This incident is an excellent example of how things can change for the worse, in a very short time and reinforces the need for us to be prepared in our homes and in the field for unexpected emergencies. The Boy Scout Motto has it right, "Be Prepared."