Glennallen Area Flood Disaster
Flooding in Glennallen. Photo by John Tierney
May 25, 2023
Allison Sayer - CRR Staff
Flooding occurred in Glennallen last week that impacted homes, businesses, public offices and infrastructure. At the peak of the flooding, pilot cars were needed to escort traffic through flowing water on the Glenn Highway and virtually all downtown businesses, offices and schools were closed.
Yentna Creek in Copper Center was also reported to have breached its banks, resulting in private home flooding.
According to Bruce Cain from the Glennallen Improvement Corporation (GIC), the pumps that are essential to the sewage system function were compromised when water damaged the electrical panels that power the pumps.
Heidi Jacobsen, representing GIC, explained that the lagoons which store waste are uphill from where much of the waste flows. Therefore a pump failure led to the potential for widespread contamination and water boiling recommendations for much of the area.
In some structures, such as the Glennallen Schools, drinking water was not contaminated, but they were not able to use their toilets right away because the waste would not go to an appropriate place. In some areas, residents were encouraged to boil water until their wells could be tested.
Glennallen Schools were able to reopen on May 18 using portable toilets and were fully open and operational on May 19. Graduation, which was on Tuesday, May 16, was held in Kluti-Kaah instead of Glennallen.
The Red Cross, Old Paths Baptist Church, and private individuals ensured that people had water to drink during the disaster. Water testing kits are available at KCAM, and testing will be free if conducted within two weeks of the flood.
As of Monday, May 22, the highway area has had some flood waters come down. This was due in part to personnel from nearby scheduled highway projects being mobilized by DOT to pump water and install emergency culverts. However, according to Cain, Snowshoe Drive was still flooded and water was still flowing into the library.
Cain also estimates that approximately 20-30 private residences, many of them part of multi-residential complexes, were impacted severely. Emily Hjortstorp, acting as the Public Information Officer for the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), stated that it is too soon to make definitive assessments of the damage at a community level. She added, “We have to wait for the water to recede.”
As flood waters began receding in Glennallen, Copperville experienced rising waters. As of Monday, at least two households were forced to evacuate and move as many of their possessions as they could away from the river.
Today, Thursday May 25, the State of Alaska Disaster Assistance Section will begin conducting disaster assessments in the area. People who experienced damage are encouraged to document as much as they can with photographs and save receipts in order to apply for disaster relief.
In the meantime, area residents who were not affected by the flooding can lend a hand, and many already are. Cain encouraged people to just “show up with a pizza” and “if you see something that needs done start doing it.”
