Tanana River ice jam has broken

MANLEY HOT SPRINGS, Alaska (KTUU) - The ice jam on the Tanana River that flooded the village of Manley Hot Springs over the weekend has broken, according to a briefing delivered to the Alaska Legislature by the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

“The jam has actually broken,” Sen. Scott Kawasaki said in an interview.

An Emergency Operations Center was stood up to assist the residents of Manley Hot Springs impacted by the flood. Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster on Saturday. Kawasaki said that members of the Fairbanks delegation were briefed about the response efforts on Sunday.

“What we heard from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is that some folks had voluntarily left earlier on knowing that this flooding would occur, and that the Emergency Operations Center had no ongoing transports that were necessary at that time,” Kawasaki said.

Kawasaki said that the department was working to obtain water pumps from the Division of Forestry to assist with moving water away from low-lying areas in Manley Hot Springs. The National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement that a strong cold front would move into the area.

“There were a lot of folks that were fearing the worst,” Kawasaki said. “It sounds like with the breaking of the river that flooding will begin to subside, recovery, and then sort of what comes next is is on the docket for the Emergency Operations Center and the state and we’re just glad that the governor released funding through our federal and state funding for emergencies like this.”

National Weather Service Observation Program Leader Craig Eckert said that the flooding event was the second worst ever in Manley Hot Springs. The National Weather Service posted images on Facebook showing the difference in water levels on the river before and after the ice jam broke up.

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