Social media memes, group playlists and neighbors pitching in at all hours have helped residents cope through repeated windstorms.
After a series of major windstorms battered the Matanuska Valley last month, residents are exhausted. Hurricane-force wind gusts have torn roofs off buildings and rattled windows through the night, preventing many Matanuska-Susitna Borough residents from getting a good night’s sleep and adding stress to the holiday season.
The winds closed schools, damaged homes and businesses, andBut alongside that physical and emotional fatigue came camaraderie. Neighbors have sprung into action to help make emergency repairs, tie down airplanes, post about blown-away trampolines and even compiled aMost of Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper’s roof blew off last weekend, his windows have shattered and his fence has blown down. His neighbors sent him pictures of the damage and worked to secure what they could, as Cooper is traveling in the Lower 48 for the holiday season.A windstorm in December damaged the roof of Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper’s home. Photographed on Dec. 31. Several airplanes parked at the Palmer airport were destroyed in December by winds that reached 100 mph. Palmer Airport Superintendent John Diumenti watched as good Samaritans braved the gusts to tie down planes that didn’t belong to them, but Diumenti said many of the damaged planes were not built for the wind, or their owners neglected to secure them or move them inside a hangar before it was too late.A wind gust lifts a 1947 Piper PA-12 while tied down at Palmer Municipal Airport as the windstorm continued on Dec. 7. Pete Probasco is 92, and has lived along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway for over 50 years. His driveway was blocked by a pair of trees that fell early last month, and his home lost power several times.“One aspect about it that’s very positive and people don’t see is that we don’t have any mosquito problems,” he joked. Aviva Braun, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Anchorage office, said the storms are caused by bora winds, which happen when cold air from the Copper River Valley is pushed through the narrow Matanuska River Valley toward the Gulf of Alaska by colder Arctic air. The bora winds are not new to the Mat-Su, and Braun said they have reached higher speeds before, but the length and strength of the December storms was unique. “We tend not to have back to back-to-back-to-back windstorms of this nature, and that is because we have a very stubborn blocking high that is particularly cold and dense,” Braun said. Wind-tattered flags in downtown Palmer wave during the windstorm on Dec. 7. Matanuska Peak is visible at left in the distance. Braun said Palmer’s wind speed record was set in 1996 at 112 mph, and the longest bora event lasted 75 hours in 2003. The initial windstorm that started Dec. 7 was the strongest among the four that hit the Mat-Su last month, lasting just as long as the 2003 storm while reaching gusts of 100 mph. The repeated blasts of Arctic air have broken long-standing landmarks and changed the appearance of the landscape. The wind has blown much of the snow off the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges that border the Mat-Su Borough, with peaks now appearing brown and gray instead of their typical snowy whiteJoel Stefanski has run Valley Tree Services for over four decades, and said this is only the second time he’s had work through the winter. The only other winter he worked to cut down dangerous trees was in“The carnage is overwhelming,” Stefanski said. “It’s really a tough situation, because it’s extremely dangerous to be tackling these trees when the wind’s still blowing 50, 60, 70 miles an hour. The linemen do it, thankfully, and it’s a very tough, dangerous job for the linemen to be out there.” Stefanski is prioritizing trees that have fallen or may fall on homes and vehicles, and had so many requests that he’s been recommending other tree services to customers who need help right away. “There’s a lot of anxiety that goes into this. You’ve got that howling wind all night long, and you got something overhanging your house,” Stefanski said. “People, they’re so appreciative of you showing up and taking care of the situation, and now they can breathe. There is a lot of stress involved, a lot of anxiety.” He said most of the downed trees are cottonwoods, and urged Mat-Su residents to remember this storm in the summer when it’s safer to remove trees on the windward side of their property. Rock Solid Plumbing and Heating owner Chris Vogel said his employees set a company record in December with over three dozen repairs completed in a single day. He said the cold weather and frequent power outages have exacerbated existing issues with plumbing and HVAC systems. His employees typically only respond to a few calls over the weekend, but Vogel said they’ve gone out on dozens of calls outside of their normal hours for residents with no heat or no hot water. The employees are “trying to help, and they know it’s a need. So most people, I’d say, are generally really happy, because they understand that, and you get to save the day,” Vogel said.Barb Hunt started the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook group almost 10 years ago, and it has grown to over 50,000 members since then. As the windstorms persisted, the group became a hub for posts aboutShe doesn’t allow cuss words or posts about politics or religion in the group, but she removed the ban onHunt said the wind has been exhausting for everyone in its path, and Palmer residents came to her group to share their experiences. “The windows chatter, and then there’s howling,” Hunt said. “You can feel it pound the windows, and I’m going to tell you, there are a lot of people that have gone without a lot of sleep for many days here.” Throughout the month of windstorms, Hunt would post excitedly about the sound of silence coming over the area as winds subsided, only for someone else to post updated warnings from the National Weather Service hours later. Hunt said many members came to the group for a respite. “There’s a lot of humor that is coming out from this thing,” Hunt said. “Social media is something that can make you not feel alone, and the fact that there’s other people sharing that grief and that joy and … that kind of excitement. There’s something real about this, and I love it.” The crowdsourced playlist includes classic anthems such as AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and REO Speedwagon’s “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” among dozens of others. “I was like, you know what, I’m tired of being frustrated, I’m tired of listening to the wind, I just want something just to make it positive. And I was like, ‘We have a playlist for everything, what if we made a playlist for the wind,’ and I put it out on Facebook on the Palmer Buzz and it took off,” Mizer said. “I thought it was a neat way to just mentally take a break and laugh a little bit and find a way as we always do in Alaska to move forward.” Cooper, the Palmer mayor who will return from Christmas vacation to a house with virtually no roof, said the extreme weather has proven too much for some. “That gets to your soul, and so people are getting tired of that,” Cooper said. “I did have one person tell me they’re actually leaving the state because they can’t put up with this anymore.” But Cooper’s seen the windstorms as a chance to get to know neighbors and build connections. When his windows shattered, Cooper’s neighbor asked for help on Facebook and got an immediate response from a Sutton man who drove 20 miles south to help board up Cooper’s home. “I am just over the moon,” Cooper said, “about people showing up and helping when they don’t even know who you are.”Tim Rockey is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News focusing on education and general assignments. He has worked in journalism in Alaska for more than a decade, including at Alaska Public Media, Alaska’s News Source and the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Contact him at trockey@adn.com.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What our photographers saw on Tuesday, December 30Moments from our region as seen by our photographers.
Read more »
What our photographers saw on Monday, December 29Moments from our region as seen by our photographers.
Read more »
San Diego's Weather Forecast for December 31, 2025: Wet weather to begin 2026!Megan Parry joined the ABC 10News team in 2014 as an esteemed meteorologist with a passion for delivering accurate weather forecasts and engaging with her community.
Read more »
Denver logs second-warmest December on recordDenver broke seven weather records last month and came close to breaking three more, including the record for warmest December, according to the National Weather Service.
Read more »
Miami vs Ohio State Best Bets, Predictions & Picks for Today, December 31Our Miami vs. Ohio State predictions, college football picks, and Cotton Bowl best bets for New Year's Eve.
Read more »
The Best Pilates Socks for the Mat and ReformerBianca Alvarez is an associate reporter at NBC Select, where she covers the latest product launches and all things relating to beauty and wellness.
Read more »