‘Stop driving through puddles,’ officials urge Mat-Su residents

Palmer city officials are urging residents to avoid driving through large puddles or street flooding as heavy rain left water across roadways and blocked streets.

The pooling water is caused by rain accumulating on ice and frozen ground, officials said.

“Stop driving through puddles,” Palmer City Council member Victoria Hudson said, speaking on behalf of Palmer Public Works officials.

Hudson said the city has run out of barricades and cones. She asked residents with those items on hand to use them to mark flooded areas.

Residents outside city limits should report street flooding through the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s problem reporter, borough officials said.

As of publication, the City of Houston and City of Wasilla had not issued any updates.

About 13,000 MEA customers remained without power as of about 3 p.m. Sunday, MEA officials said.

Precipitation and wind were expected to decrease late Sunday afternoon into the evening after hours of heavy rain and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds in Mat-Su peaked at 73 mph Sunday at the Parks and Glenn interchange, National Weather Service forecaster Tracen Knopp said. The highest winds in Anchorage were recorded at 75 mph at the Seward Highway near Huffman Road.

“That was really impressive to have that that low down,” Knopp said.

— Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com