Preparations in Anchorage ahead of the storm

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Ahead of the city’s first major snowfall of 2024-2025, residents and business owners said on Sunday that life in Alaska is about dealing with and loving the snow.

The Municipality of Anchorage faced criticism after a record-breaking snow season in 2023-2024. Matters of snow removal became a top issue in the mayoral election and debates, ultimately being part of now-mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s platform. LaFrance said in the first 100 days of her office that several millions of dollars were invested into aging snow equipment.

Snow removal crews with the Alaska Department of Transportation have been preparing equipment for weeks and employees have switched to their winter schedules. Staff with JEFFCO Ground Maintenance, a private snow removal company, said they were feeling the adrenaline before being called out. The president of the company, Jeannie Schenderline, said their busy season also starts with equipment maintenance. Several of their plows had already been dispatched to Palmer and Wasilla as of early Sunday afternoon.

“We generally plow after hours, so things are pretty quiet in the middle of the night, but it’s sounding like this one’s going to come in during the daytime,” said Schenderline, pointing out that unpredictable timing is a major factor in keeping their clients happy. “It can be stressful for the operators. We want everybody to that’s out grocery shopping, to be able to get through the parking lots with minimal snow there for them.”

Anchorage residents interviewed by Alaska’s News Source on Sunday agreed with Schenderline that the first snowfall can bring uncertainty, even for long-time residents. Anchorage resident Max Romey said snow is a constant factor in Alaska and people can never be too careful.

“The carnage of the first day with snow is always pretty scary for everybody who doesn’t have snow tires or maybe just moved to Anchorage,” said Romey. “That’s always something to watch out for.”

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