Prayer Request
My family’s area in Alaska is already out of precedented times this year, as of the 1st. I don’t believe it’s much in the national news, and Alaska doesn’t name storms, but from late afternoon of the 1st through yesterday evening the Mat-Su Valley experienced the worst windstorm since at least 2003. The damage is definitely the worst on record though. Officially gusts reached 91 mph - well above hurricane-force - but there are a lot of independent reports suggesting gusts up to 120 mph. The highway to Anchorage was closed intermittently (hah here in Wyo it would still be closed) and there are porta-potties, sheds, fences, trampolines, etc. scattered in random places. Trees are down everywhere. Tons of broken windows and pipes, lots of damaged businesses.
Thankfully all my family are safe, and their homes escaped with only minor damage. My sister’s family has been without power since the first night, but yesterday evening they were able to get a generator - just in time to combat the negative temps overnight. The winds are mostly gone but smaller neighborhoods may not get power back for a day + yet. The governor has declared a state of emergency.
Please pray for safety for those still without power/heat. Shelters have been set up but some may be trapped in their homes/streets, and many feel unsafe driving due to road conditions. Also pray for the probably hundreds of linemen working overnight in these conditions to restore power, as well as other first responders and hospital staff who have probably been stuck there on duty since the storm started.
Photos of damage near my family’s homes - small planes at Palmer airport, and the KFC in Wasilla that was “catastrophically damaged”. Found online - thanks to the Wasilla PD for the KFC photo from their sternly-worded Fb post “AVOID THE AREA OF KFC MEANS AVOID THE AREA” - whata time to be alive!
