Recent Articles
Power On, Power Off
by Jenny Chissus
Living in Seldovia, across the bay – over 17 miles from Homer by water or air – you would be amazed at the amount of comfort we enjoy in this quaint community off the road system!
We have HEA (Homer Electric) who provides the city and surrounding areas with electricity, within the city limits we have city water and sewer (Thank you Seldovia City!) and ACS provides great cell service, land lines and internet (some of the highest DSL on the peninsula – you can subscribe to over 7mbps) and I know GCI serves some folks here for cell phone service as well as SpitwSpots for internet. We are totally connected! Living, truly in the lap of luxury in the wilderness of Alaska!!
However, Sunday, we had many brown-outs until the lights flickered off for the last time! Snow was coming down, and the snow loads were heavy in multiple locations, causing problems in the line somewhere, causing our power to shut down. Fortunately for Seldovia, we have a generation plant that has the capability to power our city and out the road to Jakolof during times like these! So, we were back on line – but around 8pm the power went off in a more permanent fashion, as the generation plant lost power due to a faulty main breaker. So now our backup was inoperable! Nightfall Continue Reading
Snow Day, No School
UPDATE: Cell service is also down, awaiting restoration of power by ACS!
No school today, as the power is out, we have officially been granted a Snow Day! First one that I can remember here in Seldovia! Enloy the quiet morning! Forgive my post as I’m uploading this with my iPhone, so the formatting may be strange!
HEA Power Update
by Joe Gallagher
February 25, 1:20 PM – Due to heavy snowfall on the power lines over the weekend, Seldovia, Port Graham and Nanwalek experienced power outages. Because of a main breaker issue, the Gerry Willard Generation Plant went offline. HEA crews flew to Seldovia this morning and replaced the main breaker at the plant and power was then restored to Seldovia at 11:10 a.m. Port Graham is currently on Port Graham generation at this time.
February 24, 8:30 PM – South Kachemak Bay Update: Power is currently out in the Seldovia area and the outage is expected to last through the night. The outage extends from Seldovia to McKeon Flats and is affecting 510 HEA members. The outage, which began at approximately 8 pm, was caused by a fault on the main power line somewhere between Jakolof Bay and McKeon Flats. HEA crews will patrol the line at first light on Monday to locate the problem and make repairs. The Gerry Willard Generation Plant in Seldovia is unable to provide backup power due to a problem with a large electrical breaker at the power plant.
Joe Gallagher
Public Relations Coordinator
Homer Electric Association
Kenai, AK 99611
907-283-2324
907-398-3478 (cell)
February 24, 5:00 PM – South Kachemak Bay Update: HEA crews have completed restoration work in the Seldovia area and the area is back on regular station power. Port Graham and Nanwalek continue to be served through the generator in Port Graham.
February 24, 9:30 am – The communities of Nanwalek, Port Graham and most of Seldovia are without power this morning. The area was being served by the Gerry Willard Generation Plant in Seldovia, but the plant is now off line. HEA crews are planning, weather permitting, to fly over to Seldovia this morning to address the situation.
There are approximately 65 meters that continue to have power in town. The rest do not, due to faults likely caused by snow load.
Winter Storm Warning
by The Kenai Peninsula Borough
WESTERN KENAI PENINSULA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…KENAI…SOLDOTNA…HOMER.
509 PM AKST SAT FEB 23 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON AKST SUNDAY.
* LOCATION…AROUND KACHEMAK BAY.
* SNOW…ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 10 TO 18 INCHES.
* TIMING…HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDDAY SUNDAY.
* IMPACTS…TRAVEL MAY BE DIFFICULT. VISIBILITIES MAY BE SEVERELY LIMITED IN HEAVY SNOWFALL.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY DIFFICULT. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
Kennicott to Provide Aleutian Chain Service
Press Release Contact: Jeremy Woodrow, 907-465-8994, Jeremy.Woodrow@alaska.gov
(JUNEAU, Alaska) –The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) today announced that the M/V Kennicott will sail the Aleutian chain run this spring in relief of the M/V Tustumena.
The M/V Tustumena will be delayed resuming service due to additional necessary repairs discovered during its Federal Capital Improvement Project this winter. The ferry, which normally sails the “chain run,” was scheduled to begin service April 20. AMHS now estimates the vessel to begin service in June.
“It’s unfortunate that the Tustumena will be delayed providing service to the chain this spring,” said AMHS General Manager Captain John Falvey. “Our staff will do the best we can to accommodate affected travelers, communities and businesses.”
The M/V Kennicott, which normally sails between Bellingham, Wash. and Southcentral Alaska, will sail a modified spring schedule to accommodate affected travelers throughout the region. The new sailing schedule for the M/V Kennicott will include one Aleutian chain run in April and another in May. The ferry will also provide service to Kodiak to support the May crab festival. AMHS staff is in the process of rebooking passengers and an updated schedule will be available online within the week.
Due to the size of the M/V Kennicott, the ferry will not be able to sail in relief to Akutan, False Pass, Chignik, Ouzinkie, Old Harbor and Port Lions.
“The Tustumena is truly a unique vessel and no other ferry in the state is capable of serving all of the communities that it calls on,” said Captain Falvey. “Fortunately the Kennicott can provide some relief while we work to get the Tustumena back online as soon as possible
An updated schedule will be available online within the week at FerryAlaska.com where travelers may book their travel on the rerouted ferry. AMHS staff is contacting affected passengers; for more information, please call your local terminal or the AMHS central reservations office at 1-907-465-3941 or toll free at 1-800-642-0066.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 255 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,619 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Get Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”
Seldovia Time
