Heavy rains this week are causing flooding around Seward and have prompted an emergency declaration from the Seward City Manager. The borough assembly will meet in a special session Wednesday to vote on whether to appropriate emergency funds.
Brenda Ahlberg is the borough’s spokesperson when Mother Nature has an announcement to make. She says an incident management team has been working in Seward since Monday afternoon.
“We have some roads that are closed. Mainly the road to the solid waste station is closed because Japanese Creek goes across that road and inundates that area. We have a significant culvert structure that was pushed up out of the road, about a six foot diameter culvert, so the velocity in that area is very significant. The other area is in the Questa Woods subdivision where we have Bruno Bridge that crosses Salmon Creek and that area is also closed.”
She says water is across the Seward highway in a couple spots, at miles three and five. Schools in Seward were let out early Tuesday afternoon. Ahlberg says more flooding is happening south of town at Lowell Point.
“They’re certainly working very aggressively in the Lowell Point Bridge area where the outflow comes to Resurrection Bay. That’s the bridge that takes you out of the city of Seward, onto Lowell Point Road and is the road to the community of Lowell Point. Right now, they’re doing a great job of keeping it open, but they’ve been in there with machines to push the gravel out of that area, into the bay itself.”
Nearly five inches of rain have fallen in the area since Monday and the forecast calls for more through the rest of the week. The borough assembly meets at 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon to vote on releasing emergency funds.
