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Home My WebLink About05232022 City Council LAYDOWN City Manager Report LandslideLAYDOWN 5/23/2022 City Council Meeting Janette Bower for City Manager Report 2022 Lowell Point Landslide May 7, 2022 - 7:40 pm At approximately 7:40 pm on May 7, 2022, a massive landslide occurred on Lowell Point Initial estimates of the slide volume were 40,000 yards of debris. The public works department was in the process removing the rocks from the roadway when the slide occurred. The department, along with a police officer, were on the north side of the slide. Video was taken when the slide occurred. A Lowell Point visitor was on the south end of the slide and took video of the slide as it was occurring. We are very thankful for the videos. Through the videos we were quickly able to determine that no on was trapped in the slide area and there were no injuries. Saturday, May 7, 2022, Emergency Operations Center At approximately 8:30 pm, the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) was "stood up" and emergency operations began. Some of the immediate actions taken in the EOC were: • Public communication about the slide; • Warning notification of the trees in the bay; • Verification of properly functioning utilities in the roadway; • Southside of the site secured by the police department; • Scheduled meeting with Metco for the next morning; • Scheduled contact with State Geologist; • Opened the emergency shelter at the high school; • Emergency declared by the city manager; • Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Manager Brenda Ahlberg made contact with city manager. • Site visit conducted; • Metco mobilized to begin work on Monday; • City manager transmitted drone footage to State Geologist DeAnne Stevens; • City manager and DeAnne Stevens met via telephone and email; • Brenda Ahlberg arrived in Seward, worked with city manager on the emergency processes; • Miller's Landing began their water taxi services. Sunday, May 8, 2022 ;4� ON r � lea- ., Y. Y yr" 5. �F10C' • Metco began working on the slide by creating a ramp to get to the top of the slide area; • Contact with Advanced Blasting for scaling and blasting services. Monday, May 9, 2022 4 4V 4 4NOL 491 10-1 6A V. Continued slide operations, by Metco and Advanced Blasting. On May 12, Advanced Blasting conducted their first blast. On May 12, city council adoption of the resolution declaring an emergency. The Governor signed the declaration later in the week. The Governor also included $1,000,000 in the budget for this emergency. On May 13, the city manager and Council Member DeMoss attended the meeting at Lowell Point. May 10 -13, 2022 https://fb.watch/dbH4Z]7QJ p/ Continued operations... Throughout the emergency, the City worked in partnership with the Borough and State. Unified Command meetings are held at 9 am and 4 pm each day. Parking Area for Lowell Point ` _ Residents The Borough coordinated water taxi and vehicle removal services for Lowell Point residents. To date, 1 17 vehicles have been transported from Lowell Point to Seward. A big_ thanks to Miller's Landing, Harris Sand & Gravel, a and Aurora for their services. $ `'- i6 Vehicle and Passenger I 1 Q Offloading Area 1 The Alaska Railroad has permitted parking and w y we really appreciate their partnership. The parking is available for Lowell Points residents and their visitors. o P� r .2 Shuttle services are provided by Seward City ' Tours and we thank them for their flexibility! Parking and wl Offloading Areas Current slide area and the "middle" area Mitch Miller, DOT Central Regional Geotechnical Engineer evaluated the current slide area and the area we refer to as the middle area - the area between the current slide and the slide area to the south. The report indicates the current slide was most likely caused by a vertical tension crack. The report also indicates the same type of vertical tension crack in the middle area. Barrett Salisbury, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys studied the two areas as well. Mr. Salisbury also indicated a tension crack in the current slide area, as well as, tension cracks in the middle area. State Geologist DeAnne Stevens voiced concern about the middle area and recommended removal of the area. Ms. Stevens stated although there is a heightened possibility of slide in the middle area, removal of the area could be a planned event, allowing for life/safety issued to be addressed through the emergency declaration. Also indicated was the need to view lidar data to further confirm the information. Elevate completed the lidar work and the data is being transmitted. Each expert voiced concern over large rain events. Due to uncertainty of the slopes, there may be a need to close the road during these events. This option will be explored at a later date. And be well communicated to the public. Where we are now.... Funding The Governor's disaster declaration secured reimbursement funding for the City. The actua level is still being determined. The State is encumbering the amount needed for the middle section as well. In the meantime, the City will pay the invoices and submit for reimbursement. Finance and the Firm have verified the available cash flow. Road Opening and Closures Thanks to the hard work of Metco, Advanced Blasting, and numerous others, as of today, the road is planned to be open Friday at noon. The road will remain open until Tuesday, May 31 at 8 am. At 8 am, the road will close until 5 pm to allow Advanced Blasting to continue their work. The road will be closed between 8 am and 5 pm on Tuesday, May 31, Wednesday, June 1, and Thursday, June 2. The area will be reevaluated to determine if the road will reopen and remain reopened on June 3. Please note, this is subject to change. Water Taxi and Bus Shuttle The free water taxi service and bus shuttle for Lowell Point residents and those who work in Lowell Point and Seward, will NOT be running while the road is open, but will be offered again during times when the road is closed. However, water taxis will still operate their individual schedules so if you choose not to use the road, you can pay for a ride by water taxi by calling Aurora Charters at 907-224-3968 or Millers Landing at 907-331-4040. I posted this on Facebook and want to share it again: Taking a moment to reflect on the events and support since the May 7 landslide. Seward is an amazing community and while it can be a little risky to thank people because of the danger someone may be left out, the city thanks the community for your patience and support. So many people have reached out to offer assistance and we are grateful for you. Thank you: Metco Alaska LLC for immediately mobilizing and taking on the landslide. You are rockstars. Harris Sand & Gravel for making equipment available to assist with the slide and vehicle transport. Miller's Landing Alaskan Fishing & Kayaking Outfitters for being an outstanding neighbor and friend to this community. SewardCityTours, LLC for your shuttle services and flexibility during the process. Aurora Charters Sport Fishing for your water taxi services and allowing Miller's to return to their services. Advanced Blasting Services - thank you for taking on the mountain! Elevate for geotechnical information. KPB Alerts - Brenda Ahlberg and her team. Couldn't do this without you. Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities thank you for your expertise. Alaska Department of Natural Resources - your geologists are awesome. Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management - Bryan Fisher thank you being in Seward and assisting us through the process. Governor Mike Dunleavy - for declaring an emergency and for the funding. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Pierce and Assembly Member Cindy Eklund for your representation of Seward and Lowell Point. City of Seward Mayor and City Council - thank you for your support and quick actions to declare an emergency. City of Seward departments and emergency operations team - rock stars! Please know that we are working hard to reopen the road!