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Home My WebLink About05122022 City Council Special Meeting LAYDOWN - Press Releases & PhotosCITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #1 For Immediate Release May 7, 2022 at 2030 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 220512 CC Spc Mtg LAYDOWN Press Releases & Photos City of Seward Declares State of Emergency Due To Landslide On Lowell Point Road Seward, Alaska — At approximately 7:40 p.m. this evening, the City of Seward experienced a very large landslide along Lowell Point Road that resulted in the community of Lowell Point being cut off from road access to Seward. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. As a result of the landslide, the City of Seward has declared a State of Emergency. The landslide, in our estimation, is approximately 300 feet wide, and has not yet stabilized. The Public Works Department barricaded access to the road near the Lowell Creek waterfall, and the Seward Police Department will actively man the barricade throughout the night to ensure the public's safety. Due to the volatility of the landslide, it is unknown how long the road will remain closed, or how much damage has been done and how much earth will have to be removed from the area. Lowell Point Road is a critical infrastructure for the City of Seward and the residents of the Lowell Point community. There are city wastewater and electric lines that run the length of that road. Local residents and visitors are requested to stay clear of the area. A shelter has been opened at the Seward High School for anyone displaced by the landslide. The high school is located at 2100 Swetmann Drive. For shelter inquiries, contact Jason Bickling at (907) 491-0803. MEDIA CONTACT: Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 M CITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #2 For Immediate Release May 8, 2022 at 1000 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 Landslide On Lowell Point Road Remains Unstable Seward, Alaska — The landslide that occurred yesterday evening on Lowell Point Road remains unstable. City officials met with local contractor Metco Alaska this morning to discuss debris removal. Metco Alaska has begun mobilizing equipment in preparation, however, the work cannot begin until the area is safe and it remains unknown when that will be. City officials continue to monitor and assess the situation from land and water. Drone footage is also being taken and analyzed. The public is requested to stay clear of Lowell Point Road for their own safety. Due to the instability of the landslide, it is unknown how long the road will remain closed. The weather is currently sunny and clear in Seward, temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and northerly winds at 11 mph. MEDIA CONTACT: Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 M CITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #3 For Immediate Release May 9, 2022 at 1300 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 Work On Lowell Point Road Has Begun Seward, Alaska — Remediation work has begun on Lowell Point Road in Seward. Metco Alaska has started to remove debris from Saturday's landslide, working slowly and cautiously. The contractor is making intentional efforts to remove trees from the slide debris in order to prevent them from falling into the waters of Resurrection Bay; some trees have unavoidably fallen in and boaters are being advised to use caution. The US Coast Guard and the Seward Harbormaster are coordinating efforts to keep mariners updated. City officials are furnishing the state geologist's office with drone footage for analysis. The analysis will consider the potential for additional slides to happen, particularly in the area between the current slide and the area immediately south that slid in 2020 where the mountainside remains intact. The public is requested to stay clear of Lowell Point Road for their own safety. Barricades are set up and manned at the Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel waterfall area. It is still unknown how long the road will remain closed. The city has made parking available for Lowell Point residents and visitors at the South Harbor Uplands near the Harbor so they can embark and debark the water taxi shuttle being furnished by Millers Landing. The weather is currently sunny and clear in Seward, temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and NNW winds at 14 mph. MEDIA CONTACTS: City of Seward Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 Kenai Peninsula Borough Brenda Ahlberg, Emergency Manager (907) 714-2153 or (907) 262-2098 M CITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #4 For Immediate Release May 10, 2022 at 1100 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 Tenuous Landslide Condition As Work On Lowell Point Road Continues Seward, Alaska — Good progress was made in the first day of landslide remediation on Lowell Point Road by Metco Alaska, but the situation remains tenuous and the slide area is unstable. Metco Alaska's remediation plan involves building a switchback ramp that will ultimately provide access to the top of the landslide so that the mountainside can be stabilized from the top down. This involves having the excavator operator create and maintain a trench between themselves and the mountainside to catch and contain falling debris. The area of greatest concern is the space between the 2020 landslide to the south and the current slide, where the state geologist has identified a large crack in the landscape. City officials visited the site by boat this morning and observed regular and continual shedding of debris from the top southerly portion of the slide area. There is also concern over today's increase in wind. As work continues, the safety of the workers is being monitored closely. The public is requested to stay clear of Lowell Point Road for their own safety. Barricades are set up and manned at the Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel waterfall area. It is unknown how long the road will remain closed. The city has made parking available for Lowell Point residents and visitors at the South Harbor Uplands near the Harbor so they can embark and debark the water taxi shuttle being furnished by Millers Landing. The weather is currently sunny and clear in Seward, temperature is 47 degrees Fahrenheit, and NW winds have increased to 25 mph. MEDIA CONTACTS: City of Seward Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 Kenai Peninsula Borough Brenda Ahlberg, Emergency Manager (907) 714-2153 or (907) 262-2098 M CITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #5 For Immediate Release May 10, 2022 at 1630 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 City Brinlainla In Blastinla Crew For Lowell Point Road Landslide Remediation Seward, Alaska — While crews from Metco Alaska continue to remove landslide debris, the City of Seward is also engaging the services of Advanced Blasting Services to scale the landslide and dislodge loose rocks from above. Crews from Advanced Blasting Services will begin mobilizing tomorrow, and will arrive in Seward by week's end. The city will carefully coordinate the activities of Metco Alaska and Advanced Blasting Services. Depending upon the scaling crew's success in stabilizing the slide area manually, the city may take additional measures to blast the mountainside with explosives in order to bring stability. The safety of the crews and the public is paramount, and activities are being monitored closely. The public is requested to cooperate by staying clear of Lowell Point Road from both directions. Barricades are set up and manned at the Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel waterfall area. It remains unknown how long the road will remain closed. The city has made parking available for Lowell Point residents and visitors at the South Harbor Uplands near the Harbor so they can embark and debark the water taxi shuttle being furnished by Millers Landing. The weather is currently sunny and clear in Seward, temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and NW winds have decreased slightly to 19 mph. MEDIA CONTACTS: City of Seward Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 Kenai Peninsula Borough Brenda Ahlberg, Emergency Manager (907) 714-2153 or (907) 262-2098 M CITY OF SEWARD P.O. Box 167 410 Adams Street Seward, Alaska 99664.0167 PRESS RELEASE #6 For Immediate Release May 11, 2022 at 1630 • Main Office (907) 224-4050 • Police (907) 224-3338 • Harbor (907) 224-3138 • Fire (907) 224-3445 • City Clerk (907) 224-4046 • Community Development (907) 22-4049 • Utilities (907) 224-4050 • Fax (907) 224-4038 Sloulzhinlz Work Continues On Lowell Point Road Landslide Seward, Alaska — A five -member crew from Advanced Blasting Services arrived in Seward this afternoon and has begun manually sloughing the landslide area from the top. Crew members ascended the mountainside and began agitating the area manually to loosen large rocks and boulders, while Metco Alaska excavators continue their work below. The collaboration between the two contractors has been carefully coordinated and the crews are in constant radio contact amongst themselves, as well as with the safety crews on the ground and on the watch boat positioned in the bay. Metco Alaska brought in a second excavator to help remove debris, working in tandem with the excavator that has been on -site since Monday. They will continue to extract fallen trees from the debris as much as possible to help prevent them from falling in the water. At this moment, the city has not actively engaged the blasting crew. Due to shifting wind patterns, the water taxi being operated by Millers Landing has been relocated to the North Harbor Launch Ramp, between X and Z Floats. The city is allowing Lowell Point residents and visitors to park in that parking lot while they shuttle to Lowell Point. The public is requested to stay clear of Lowell Point Road from both directions. Barricades are set up and manned at the Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel waterfall area. It remains unknown how long the road will remain closed. The weather is currently sunny and clear in Seward, temperature is 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and winds have decreased dramatically to 9 mph. MEDIA CONTACTS: City of Seward Brenda Ballou, PIO (907) 224-4045 or (907) 362-0628 Kenai Peninsula Borough Brenda Ahlberg, Emergency Manager (907) 714-2153 or (907) 262-2098 M May 8, 2022 May 8, 2022 May 9, 2022 May 9, 2022 t y r - Y r a i� r C f ' r e £ May 10, 2022 ~' E r po,I �i,. lwn- g .r fi A +"�'�'"r !°��i ,... .. r i. - i May 10, 2022 ��s�1►� >r �� ' ,•P i1 r� $ _J�� -ems^' � '' _ "� Y+ ,� 'J i �: t.... ... t � A .a' May 11, 2022 Rocks continue to fall from this high point, coming from the left; it's easy to sere the drop path due to the fresh, - dark brown dirt line. This may indicate the potential for another landslide far the area to the left of the red arrows. ��. May 9, 2022 :�Ix d , yak, OF 41 r �,�, w �*:' �,�' a �' •� ',," �` ."`-�. nm 0 fi r . a s } r a., t JI _. - � :i •�., aC,^':'f _ yak✓ - r .r`.. ..yG" 1�L