Petersburg landslide takes down power, phone, internet lines - Alaska Public Media News

2 years ago 40

A landslide astir 5 miles southbound of Petersburg caused a powerfulness outage Monday, with telephone lines and net besides down successful parts of town.

The descent happened astatine astir 4:30 p.m. and sent a stack of trees and debris crossed Mitkof Highway, the island’s main roadworthy which connects downtown Petersburg to galore residents that unrecorded retired of town.

As of Monday night, determination were nary known injuries and nary houses were known to beryllium damaged. A squad of responders with Petersburg Fire and EMS was inactive searching the debris.

Fire Chief Jim Stolpe said, “We’re inactive searching the pile. I’ve got guys connected the different side, and I’ve got 2 radical searching the pile… connected that broadside of the road. Because if determination was a car there, erstwhile it came through, past that’s what we request to find out. So, determination is simply a small spot of ace superior hostility close now.”

Stolpe said 1 shed, which was apt a schoolhouse autobus shelter, was destroyed.

Fire Department spokesperson Dave Berg said the harm to infrastructure was extensive.

“It’s taken retired powerfulness lines and besides telephone and two… fibre optic cables from the section providers successful the area,” Berg said. “And fortunately, our net comes from different absorption also, truthful we volition not beryllium isolated successful that respect.”

He said that the Alaska Department of Transportation, oregon DOT, is liable for removing debris. The roadworthy is an Alaska authorities highway.

Petersburg nonmigratory Jeff Hupp lives astir 4 miles southbound of the slide. He was driving connected the roadworthy astatine the clip it happened.

“I was connected the road. I conscionable picked up the family,” Hupp said. “We were taking the girls successful to bash instrumentality oregon treating. …And by the clip I drove from their house, to… the store, the powerfulness was out.”

The Petersburg Borough said successful a connection that 1 Southeast Alaska Power Agency rod is destroyed and different 1 is damaged. The landslide besides damaged the transportation to the Blind Slough hydroelectric powerfulness system.

“It is highly apt that galore customers southbound of the landslide volition beryllium without powerfulness until the SEAPA enactment is repaired,” borough officials said.

It whitethorn instrumentality the authorities Department of Transportation a fewer days to wide the debris from the road. For now, residents tin instrumentality a detour that includes Cabin Creek Road. It’s a overmuch longer mode connected ungraded roads that aren’t maintained by the borough. The Petersburg schoolhouse territory has excused students who unrecorded connected the acold broadside of the slide.

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