With Other Road Towns, Dunleavy Declares Copper River Region A Weather "Disaster Area"

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

Most Of Both Road Systems Between Anchorage and Fairbanks Declared A Disaster Area 

Governor Mike Dunleavy (State of Alaska) 

Governor Mike Dunleavy has named almost every roadside Alaska community north of Anchorage a weather-related "disaster area." Dunleavy declared the disaster emergency on Monday, January 3rd, 2022. 

One of the areas included in the disaster declaration is the Copper River school district region. 

Newly Declared Disaster Areas Include...

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough and its towns of Big Lake, Willow, Houston, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek. 

The Denali Borough near Denali Park. 

The Fairbanks North Star Borough, along with Fairbanks.

The Delta/Fort Greely REAA (Regional Education Attendance Area) – meaning the area covering the school district.

 
The Copper River REAA (Regional Education Attendance Area) – meaning the area covering the school district.

Regions All Have Their Unique Problems 

These regions have all been affected by high winds and cold temperatures. The cold weather and winds have been unfurling across the road system for a number of days, with different emergencies happening in various parts of the state.

In Fairbanks, extremely icy conditions were followed by blizzards caused by extreme winds and now extreme cold. The Richardson Highway was closed for much of the distance north of Gakona Junction. In Delta Junction, high winds and snow collapsed roofs of major businesses. In Denali, there have been heavy snows. In the Mat-Su, there have been major power outages, heavy winds, turned-over trucks and semi-trailers, and walls ripped off of buildings. 

National Guard soldiers have been deployed to Fairbanks to help with transportation needs there. 

Declaring an official "disaster area" loosens up funds to help businesses and families who need money for disaster-related expenses. 

The Governor also included Girdwood in a disaster declaration in early January. At the end of October, Girdwood suffered major flooding, road damage and rock slides when it had over a foot and a half of rain.