Hiland Road Avalanche Update
Wednesday, April 13
Yesterday was the last day of Snow removal operations related to the avalanche.
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85 loads on Tuesday using 10 trucks.
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Total to date: 3,232 loads and 38,784 Cubic Yards
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We have finished the snow removal in the area and are removing the signage and equipment.
Tuesday, April 12
Hiland and South River Lane have both been reopened and road access has been restored to all residents. MEA and MTA have restored service to all impacted residents.
Total load count as of 4-8-2020 3,096
Total Cubic Yards as of 4-8-2020 37,152
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Municipal crews removed an additional 3,000 cubic yards of snow and debris on Monday and are closing in on a total of 30,000 cubic yards removed from the avalanche site. Hiland Road is now open with traffic control for RESIDENTS ONLY. Matanuska Telephone Association has restored landline and internet to the area as well.
The priority this week is to clear South River Lane, the deepest part of the slide.
Monday, April 4, 2022
Update 12:15 PM
After hauling nearly 1,000 loads of snow over the weekend, our incredible road crews have successfully cleared and opened Hiland Road.
Flaggers will be in place to direct traffic as crews will still be working in the intersection of Hiland and South River. Traffic delays are expected as snow removal remains the top priority for the next week.
We encourage only local traffic in the area until all roads are clear. With Hiland reopening, the snow machine shuttle service will discontinue at the end of today. A huge shout out to the crews from Anchorage Parks and Recreation for their help in these efforts.
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Municipal crews moved almost 1,000 loads of snow over the weekend and plan to have the portion of Hiland Road open for thru traffic by end of day Monday, April 4th. We will have flaggers in place to direct traffic as crews will still be working in the intersection of Hiland and South River. There will be delays for thru traffic as snow removal from the intersection is still the priority.
We encourage only local traffic in the area until all roads are clear.
With the partial opening of the road, snow machine shuttle service will discontinue at the end of the day. Huge shout out to the crew from the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department for their tireless service in these efforts.
Sunday, April 3, 2022
MOA crews will have the portion of Hiland Road open for thru traffic by end of day tomorrow, Monday, April 4th. We will have flaggers in place to direct traffic as we will still be working in the intersection of Hiland and South river. There will be delays for thru traffic as the snow removal from the intersection is still the priority for next week.
Please only local traffic until the roads are 100% complete.
Friday, April 1, 2022
The public is reminded to stay clear of the avalanche site. Please stay off the debris and slide area. Crews are working diligently to remove the snow and we don't want to complicate or slow operations with unnecessary travel in the area. Residents are encouraged to limit recreation activities in the mountains and bowl area of the slide as the snowpack remains unstable. Please give space for crews to continue to work safely and efficiently.
Yesterday 329 truckloads of snow were removed (highest 1-day today so far). A total of 1,197 truckloads of snow have been removed. That's an estimate of 15,561 cubic yards of snow! View the dashboard at the link below for snow removal information. https://bit.ly/HilandAvalancheGIS
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Avalanche experts and on-site crews continue monitoring site conditions. Changing weather conditions may cause the snowpack on the mountain and slide area to grow worse. The possibility of future avalanches in the area remains. The public is advised to stay clear of the area and avoid hiking or recreational traveling.
Snow clearing continues. Yesterday, 312 truckloads of snow were removed. A total of 855 truckloads have been removed thus far.
MEA reported at 5:15 pm yesterday that temporary power has been restored for all residents. Continue following
Matanuska Electric Association for service updates.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Update at 5:15 pm:
Power has been restored for the remaining member that was out. Power has been restored for all members that were impacted by the Hiland Road avalanche.
AVALANCHE UPDATE - 10:15AM
Snow removal continues.
MOA has set up a dashboard for removal information.
https://bit.ly/HilandAvalancheGIS
This dashboard will be updated after noon each day, Monday-Friday, with the prior day's information.
Safety remains the priority and the public is reminded to stay away from the immediate slide.
Also be aware of additional avalanche concern in that area and avoid hiking or recreational traveling.
Hiland Avalanche Outage Update Weds
We have great news to share with our members this morning! Crews were able to restore power to 24 of the 25 remaining members affected by the avalanche. There is still one member without power that crews will have to continue to work on getting restored today. These temporary power solutions will keep the power on for these members until we can repair and replace permanent power infrastructure after the snow is cleared and we can work in the area. We want to thank our members for their patience as we worked through this challenging situation and to our crews who have worked tirelessly over the past five days to get the power back on.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Hiland Avalanche Outage Response Update at 3:00 p.m. -
Earlier today MEA Operations Staff were able to work with Incident Command to conduct a site evaluation at the Hiland Road Avalanche area. MEA is going to create and install some temporary power facilities to get a majority of the 25 members remaining without power back on. If everything goes according to plan, we believe we should have at least 20 of the residences restored within the next 48 hours. There are a few homes on the hillside on both sides of the avalanche that we are still evaluating options for restoring power.
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Snow removal is going well and will continue as planned, pending any changes to safety on-site. Over 300 snow loads have been removed so far.
At this time, the Emergency Shelter at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Recreation Center has been de-mobilized. We thank the Red Cross for their support.
Update from MEA:
MEA is working with incident command to determine safe accessibility to the area and to see if crews can start to safely access some of the damaged power equipment. MEA is also looking at any temporary power solutions we might be able to provide to get power back on to some, if not all, of the 25 remaining members that are without power. Those that are affected by the power outage are residences on S River Lane and Circle, S River Drive, and N River Circle. We hope to have an update for our members later today.
As a safety reminder to those that are using generators to power their home, please make sure your main breaker is off.
The Muni is continuing snow machine shuttling between West River Road trailhead and Birdsong Drive.
Please be safe and continue to stay clear of the immediate slide area.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Snow hauling has started and is going well. Residents in the Hiland area should expect to see increased truck traffic for the next two weeks as crews clear avalanche debris.
The Muni is continuing snow machine shuttling between West River Road trailhead and Birdsong Drive. For pick up and transportation between these locations contact Saxton Shearer at (907)223-9787.
For residents still without power, Matanuska Electric Association is evaluating if temporary power connections are possible. However, at this time we have been advised power may be out until the avalanche debris is cleared off the road and MEA can access the areas they need to in order to reestablish power.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Mitigation efforts for the Hiland Road Avalanche are complete and were successful. Safety teams have assessed potential risks for reentry.
Significant risks remain in place until snow clearing operations are complete.
The public will be allowed back in the area affected by the evacuation order effective immediately. We do caution residents from returning to their homes until snow is removed.
Safety risks will be assessed daily until further notice.
Maintenance crews will begin work to remove snow starting tomorrow contingent on daily safety assessments. If conditions remain safe, we anticipate snow removal will take two weeks.
We thank the residents who live on Hiland Road and in the affected area. We appreciate their patience and cooperation during this difficult time.
Saturday, March 26, 2022
The Municipality of Anchorage has been diligently working to understand the dangers regarding the remaining snow that remains above the recent Hiland Road Avalanche. It has been recognized that the remaining slab does pose a danger to the residents below. The efforts of the incident command team have been focused on evaluating the danger of leaving the slab in place and possibly experiencing a release unannounced or taking action to force the avalanche to come down in a controlled manner. Industry experts have been on location and have evaluated interacting with the remaining slab with manmade measures to release it is currently being discussed.
A plan is being finalized and will be put in place to create a timeline allowing the residents the greatest time to prepare in a safe manner. The Municipality of Anchorage holds the safety of the residents as the highest priority and will continue to do so. We will continue communicating as important details are finalized.