Borough declares local disaster for Talkeetna flood damage

The Mat-Su Borough has declared a local disaster for Talkeetna after high water destroyed much of the downtown revetment and caused rapid erosion near the end of Main Street.

According to a statement by the borough Tuesday morning, the disaster declaration allows access to emergency funding as well as support from state and federal agencies. It also allows for emergency response plans to be carried out.

Downtown Talkeetna lies at the confluence of the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna Rivers. Multiple days of heavy rain resulted in high water throughout the Northern Susitna Valley earlier this month.

That high water event destroyed over 300 feet of the rock revetment near the end of Main Street. In less than a day, the riverbank was eroded back more than sixty feet, threatening some cabins near the river.

Last Friday, the borough authorized transporting 900 tons of rock to the end of Main Street to stage for future repairs.  Staff from the borough’s public works department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have visited the site multiple times since last week.

According to borough spokesman Stefan Hinman, the public works department and the Army Corps of Engineers are working on both immediate protective measures and long-term repairs.