23 January 2017

Digging Out

Between Thursday overnight and yesterday afternoon, we got another foot of snow. Doesn't sound like a lot until you remember that it's on top of the 18" we already had.


A fierce storm that walloped Southcentral Alaska over the weekend dumped a foot of snow on Anchorage in 24 hours, causing havoc on the roads and even leading to the collapse of a sports dome in Alaska's most populated city.
The Dome?
The massive inflatable roof of Anchorage's indoor sports venue The Dome collapsed just before midnight on Saturday under the weight of heavy snow, canceling athletic events for thousands of users and leaving the future of the heavily used facility in question.
No one was hurt in the collapse of the structure off Raspberry Road, which is roughly 600 feet long and 300 feet wide. The building had been evacuated eight hours before the collapse. 
The owners say it will be repaired and put back into service. It covers a quarter-mile track, football field, weight room, exercise areas, a batting cage, and numerous other facilities. My wife and I used to go walking there, until their schedule became so heavily-weighted toward team events that individual members had trouble finding a consistent time to exercise.

But life goes on, and we all have jobs. There's a roof over our heads, food to eat, and a warm place to sleep. God is good, and we are blessed. Snow? That's just white stuff on the ground, making Alaska a beautiful place to live. :)


Thanks for stopping by, friends.

14 comments:

LindaG said...

They need to reinforce that dome, or install something to heat it up quickly.

In the lower 48, school busses have lights on top, but the aren't critical down here like they are up there. I remember some pretty tall snow dunes when we were there.

Glad you got your snow! Now maybe the seals won't starve, or some such liberal drivel.

Be careful and stay warm!

Rev. Paul said...

Linda, the Dome is an inflatable, like the top half of a blimp. The only thing which can support it is high air pressure. In fact, to enter the structure, users must go through an air lock designed to keep the pressure in. It's been here for 10 years, so I'm guessing something tore/ripped or was otherwise holed where a hole oughtn't to have been.

We're all happy about the snow, too. :)

drjim said...

You guys are digging out, and we're bailing/pumping out!

All the water drained out of the backyard overnight, but the garage did get (somewhat) flooded. No damage to anything valuable, just a mess to clean up when it dries out a bit more.

And there's more rain coming tonight, but after that we should be clear and sunny for the next week.

Rev. Paul said...

Jim, we'd far rather deal with snow than flooding. BDTD, including the Great Flood of '93 when the Missouri and Mississippi flooded, leaving much of several counties under water. I worked for a Missouri county in those days, and helped go around and survey the damage. I also wrote a grant request for reimbursement (which was denied, thank you Pres. Clinton). I'm quite done with flooding, personally. I wish you much good fortune & speedy recovery from any damage.

LindaG said...

There were people denied by FEMA down here in Louisiana this summer, too. You can bet every one of them voted for Trump.

Anyway, I did not know that about the 'dome'. Good grief. A high wind could put anything through it.

Oh well, I hope it won't cost the taxpayers too much to fix it.

Rob said...

our old Metro Dome did that when we lived in Fla. saw it on video. Fun to watch all that snow fall to the floor. Now we have a new stadium with a hard roof, glass walls, something has to give...LOL

Rev. Paul said...

Linda, The Dome in Anchorage is privately owned, by a local church. Won't cost the taxpayers anything.

Rob, we may - or may not - ever hear what happened. It's unlikely the church will replace it; just repair & re-inflate.

Old NFO said...

Yep, that much will even get y'alls attention! :-D

Rev. Paul said...

That right there's a true fact, NFO. :D

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

Hunker down, and stay warm!!! This too shall pass :-)

You all are used to this type of weather. If that type of snow came down here in OK, people wouldn't know what to do.

ProudHillbilly said...

Oh boy. Better you than us. We've had a lot of wet recently but it's mostly rain.

Rev. Paul said...

Sandy, it's no problem. Despite structural issues here & there, from the weight of the snow, we're fine. And the new snowblower has greatly simplified our lives. :)

PH, we (meaning Alaska in general) are used to it, and prepared for it. What we've had this winter is not quite as much as the average, but the January snowfall is well above average. It's all good. :)

Guffaw in AZ said...

Wow. Obviously you take the long view.
With my 'issues', I don;t think I could.

Stay safe and warm!

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw, it's January in Alaska. It's supposed to be cold & snowy. There are people who have lived here for decades who still fuss about that; I don't understand that point of view. And it's just as obviously not for everyone. I do understand that. It's okay; with any luck at all, we all wind up where we're supposed to be. :)