Cordova, Alaska snow emergancy

[Bob Denman]

Has anybody been keeping an eye on what's going on with the weather up there? The Weather Channel mentioned this morning that over 13 feet :shocked: of snow has hammered these poor folks over the past couple of weeks...
Duane, Are you guys okay? Is any of this near you?

 

[murphybrown]

Oh my

Several years ago I spent 10 days in that area...need to pray for those folks...town is built on hillside...don't think there is more than 4 blocks that are on flat ground...beautiful area...wonderful folks...small town...I stayed at a small rustic B & B 4 blocks UPHILL from water...

 

[NancysToy]

Last night CBS News had a feature on it. They have 18 feet of snow on the ground! To make matters worse, it started to rain and made the snow weigh as much as 100 pounds per square foot!!! The National Guard is shoveling off roofs of the hospitals and such, but they have their work cut out for them. I will never, ever complain about the snow again...until I have to shovel it. ray:

 

[ARtraveler]

Thank you all for your concerns. Cordova and Valdez get LOTS of snow each winter. The locals are saying this is the most snow they have seen at one time in over thirty years. The fact that they had rain after a large snowfall only compounded the problem, making the snow wet and heavy. Several buildings ended up with collapsed roofs and the National Guard has come in to help shovel snow off the roofs of places in danger, as well as helping people get into and out of their homes. The news here has been showing pictures of people digging tunnels to get into or out of their homes.

There are mountains above the town so they are also worried about avalanches causing additional damage. The snow cover plus the rain are prime ingredients for avalanches to happen.

Here in Chugiak/Anchorage we received up to 14 inches of snow this weekend--I got about 6 inches where I am. The snow cover in my yard is now nearing 4 feet. My Christmas ornaments in the yard are almost covered--except for the head of the snowman. The banks along the side of my road are almost five feet high.

It has also been cold, with temperatures hovering around zero. Last night they said another low pressure area was headed our way and additional blizzard warnings were up--including for Cordova. At 8:00 this morning--no additional snow in Chugiak or Anchorage.

It is very beautiful, but I will also say that this is the most snow I have seen here since 2001. That year we got 36" of snow in one drop on October 15th.

 

[flamingobabe]

and I've been whining all morning about 47degrees....burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr