Willow Creek flooding forces evacuations

Flooding on Willow Creek Saturday night and Sunday has led to seven families being evacuated, with five people taking shelter at the Willow Community Center.

Late Saturday night, an ice jam caused water to rise.  Mat-Su Borough Director of Emergency Services Ken Barkley says, as of Sunday afternoon, the flooding has directly impacted some homes, and others may be at risk.

“Three of the homes acutally had water flowing through…so three of them do have some water damage.  The other homes are just in danger.  The water level has come up in their yards or around their vehicles, but not into the homes.”

On Saturday night, residences west of the Deneki Bridge were being evacuated.  As of 3:00 pm on Sunday, residences north of the bridge were also evacuated.  Barkley says the bridge will be impassible for the next few days until the situation stabilizes.

Willow Fire Department, Mat-Su Animal Care, and the Mat-Su Water Rescue Team are on hand to assist those impacted by the flood. Barkley says those teams plan to return to the area on Monday in case additional assistance is needed.

No deaths or injuries have been reported as a result of the flooding.