Social media has been full of posts and pictures about an avalanche on the Richardson Highway outside of Keystone Canyon on Tuesday, April 26th. Yes, it’s true, there was an avalanche. It only partially blocked one lane of the highway and that part was cleared the same day.
Photos courtesy of Robin Mayo
But what about the Lowe River? You can see that it’s blocked by the ice. A contact at Valdez Police and Fire reported that there is water flowing underneath the ice and the river is still getting through. Personnel are checking the area regularly to keep an eye on it.
People in the Valdez area have reason to get a little edgy when something like this happens. In January, 2014 the term ‘damalanche’ was coined when a series of avalanches blocked both lanes of the Richardson Highway in many feet of snow and ice in approximately the same area outside of Keystone Canyon, effectively cutting Valdez off except by sea and air. It also dammed the Lowe River, which backed up and made a lake across the highway that was thirty feet deep. It took two weeks, and many adventures before it was cleared. People in the area from ten mile to Keystone Canyon were on flood watch. A couple crossed the area on foot to rush their cat to the vet. Groceries were being barged in to keep the store stocked with essentials. But it all ended well.
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For more information about the damalanche, here’s a link to Alaska Department of Transportation’s website with facts. https://dot.alaska.gov/highways/richardson/damalanche.shtml
A more detailed report was released by Pete and Sarah Carter of the Valdez Avalanche Center. You can read that here.
Photos and video below courtesy of Alaska Department of Transportation
