OCT. 1 flood update

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s disaster declaration ended on Saturday, Sept. 29. The Emergency Operations Center that responded to the flood disaster at full staff for nine days, closed on Friday, 11 days after heavy rain swelled many rivers and creeks simultaneously to flood levels, damaging 823 structures, destroying 14 homes, and disrupting more than 60 roads, at initial count. The Borough has begun transitioning into a recovery mode.

COMMUNITY MEETING IN WILLOW TONIGHT

Tonight is the third community meeting. State and Borough staff will offer practical information on how to test drinking water, how to clean a flooded well, and how to apply for state disaster assistance funds for your primary residence and other property, and more. The meeting is at Willlow, 6 pm, tonight, at Willow Community Center. Meetings were held in Talkeetna Sept. 25, and in Butte Sept. 27.

Assistant Borough Manager George Hays is working to activate the Borough-wide Recovery Task Force. The task force is established to oversee the recovery and reconstruction process and serve as an advisory committee to local government officials who are responsible for recovery activities.

ONLY 3 ROADS OF 40 STILL IMPASSABLE

Only three Borough roads of the 40 roads that were closed due to flooding remain impassable, including Kenny Blvd., Shirley Towne Drive along Willow Creek and Kalispell Drive outside Talkeetna.

• Deneki Meadows Bridge: Open to foot traffic now is expected to be open to vehicle traffic on Thursday. The opening of Deneki Meadows bridge will allow crews access to Kenny Blvd to fix it, possibly within two weeks. Shirley Towne is blocked off until an evaluation of the integrity of the bridge itself can be performed. Shirley Towne Drive may not be repaired this construction season

 • Yoder Road near Talkeetna opened earlier than projected. Work on it continues. The residents who were taking a pioneer road will shorten considerably their commute time.

• Michelle Road is open.

• Lazer Road will open today.

Friday Road, Burrow Street, and Johnson Drive are open along Willow Fishhook Road.

STATE DISASTER ASSISTANCE CENTERS

The deadline to apply is Nov. 20, 2012. Four centers are opening in our Borough.

• Butte Fire station Oct. 4-Oct. 5

• Upper Susitna Senior Center, Oct. 8-Oct. 9

• Willow Community Center, Oct. 9-Oct. 10

• Wasilla , at Cottonwood Fire Station, Oct. 11-Oct. 12

9 am to 7 pm for all locations.

Beginning Oct. 3 you can apply by phone at 1-855-445-7131. State staff recommends you apply in person as the information gathered can be more thorough. Disaster funds are for primary residences and other property. Bring description of damages, photos, home ownership documents, insurance information, and identification. Save receipts of repair work.

FLOOD PERMIT NEEDED ON REPAIR WORK

Before working on flooded property, check in with the Borough for a permit. The permit is required for any state and federal relief. Questions can be directed to the MAT-SU Borough permit center at 745-9822.

HOW TO VIDEOS POSTED ON YOUTUBE

Videos produced by the MAT-SU Borough on how to clean a well, how to test water, how to apply for state disaster assistance are on the Borough YouTube channel at

HELP IN CLEANUP

 For residents who need help cleaning up flooded homes, a volunteer group is being mobilized soon. We will post a phone number to call to get on a schedule for clean up, tomorrow.

For more information call Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan at 907.745.9577 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.