http://www.adn.com/2014/01/26/3292513/avalanche-danger-keeps-crews-from.html Valdez is isolated for a while
Don't really want to like the picture because of the problems the avalanche caused but it is a neat picture.
X2. Hate to think someone is hurt. Thanks for the pic Dave. This is the reality of things. Natural disasters happen all the time. We just don't think about the severity and damage they cause.
Do the road crews even bother, or do they wait for a while? I'm not sure it would be a good idea to bother that, for fear it would cause more to come down. Hope nobody is in the middle of all that.
Don't think anyone is going to clear that road.... If you watch the video on the link, you'll see that the snow is holding back a lake now..
A couple 2-3 weeks ago my cousin was snow boarding in Vail and got buried in an avalanche. Once of the guys he was with was killed. If it wasn't for the respirator he got for Christmas this year my cousin wouldn't have made it either.
What a nightmare for the engineers. If they wait for the snow to melt, how much additional prism does that growing lake pose? Strange we aren't seeing this on the pm news. Way more interesting than hearing about some pop singers getting arrested. Here we have a whole community having their road access cut off with no predictable outcome. Seems news worthy to me.
They need to get the damm snowplowing crew to get in their damm trucks and break up that damm snow....... or snow damm.. or It's Valdez... They've been used to getting ignored for years.. Watched a special on how the oil spill is still having an impact on the economy there.. Truly unfortunate..
DOT update: Richardson Highway Closure Press Teleconference Availability (VALDEZ, Alaska) – The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) will host a press teleconference Monday, Jan. 27 from noon to 1 p.m. Please use the following number and access code to participate in today’s teleconference: Dial: (267) 507-0008 Access Code: 786-679-197 To alleviate the number of questions over the phone, please email questions prior to the teleconference to [email protected]. Time will be made for additional questions immediately following the initial remarks from ADOT&PF. Highway Closure Update: The Richardson Highway remains closed from milepost 12-42 until further notice. ADOT&PF maintenance crews successfully brought down additional slides over the weekend and have stabilized some sections of the highway. Crews have begun removing debris from the milepost 39.5 slide. Other sections of the highway still remain far too unstable and unsafe to access. A large slide in Keystone Canyon that crossed the Lowe River has formed a dam which caused flooding in valley upstream. Some water is receding through an old railway tunnel but not enough to allow crews to begin removing the slide debris. ADOT&PF is working on rerouting ferry service to Valdez. An additional two direct Whittier to Valdez sailings will be added, for a total of three direct Whittier to Valdez sailings this week. An updated schedule will be available at FerryAlaska.com later today. On Friday, Jan. 24, at approximately 6:30 a.m., multiple avalanches crossed the Richardson Highway in the Thompson Pass region. ADOT&PF closed the highway from milepost 12-64 through the weekend. The avalanches occurred naturally after the department made several attempts to mitigate avalanche risk up to 10 days prior to the closure. The department continues to assess the stability of the snowpack and will begin clearing debris from the highway once it is determined that it is safe for crews to access the area. For road conditions updates, please visit 511.alaska.gov, dial 5-1-1, or check for 511 updates on Facebook and Twitter. ADOT&PF reminds drivers to exercise extreme caution if traveling through mountain passes in this region as there is an increased possibility for more avalanches to occur and to be aware of flaggers and heavy equipment in the roadway.
