Eielson base housing floods during record rainfall

Published Aug. 13, 2008
By Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Earlier this month Eielson experienced the wettest July in record--causing more than 80 base homes in Moose Lake and French Creek to flood.

The rainfall, averaging 7.3 inches, was caused by thunderstorms in the local area, and not only affected Eielson. Parts of Salcha were evacuated due to flooding along the Salcha and Tanana Rivers, as reported in a public information statement from the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.

It also reported that this was the second highest rainfall in Interior history, coming in second only to August 1967's 7.47 inches.

Some base homes were predisposed to the flooding by being built below the water table, causing some basements to flood with up to six inches of water resulting in residents having to remove all personal belongings in a hurry.

"The basement is my daughter's room, she was sleeping when the water alarm went off," said Capt. Tammy Colvin, 354th Comptroller Squadron deputy budget chief. "She had to call me when I was at work to help move all the furniture."

The water, which took a whole day to drain out of her basement, and another day to cut up the soaked carpet and remove, caused significant changes in the daily routines of herself and her neighbors.

She said that other than taking time off work to remove carpet and drain the water using pumps, she has spent more money than usual on laundry, as all washing machines and dryers in these base homes are located in the basement and were unusable during the floods.

"One way it has really disrupted my daily life is that I spent $50 on a week's worth of laundry in North Pole," said Captain Colvin.

Base residents can afford to take a sigh of relief as a committee of officials have put together solutions and resources to help flood victims on base.

One solution has been the decision to open one of the contingency dormitory laundry rooms for flood victim's use: Bldg. 2264, between Central Ave. and East Loop, in the same building as the Thrift Shop. Residents can gain access through the main entrance to the laundry room area located in the basement.

Dave Sponsel, Davis, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez (DGR) project manager, said that his team of laborers is currently busy helping families remove damaged drywall and carpet, large furniture such as pianos out of basements, and pumping water from homes. Base residents should remove all possible personal belongings prior to DGR arriving to start cleanup so they have a cleared area to work with.

He said that all removal of carpet, drywall and like materials will be prioritized by the severity of the flood damage.

"What we're also doing is pumping water out of man-holes, and the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron is pumping more than 3,500 gallons of water per minute out of base housing," said Mr. Sponsel.

He said if residents are experiencing a lack of cold water, it is due to complications with the flooded man-holes heating cold water pipes.

"When the man-holes are empty, residents will get cold water again," he said.

Residents should call housing maintenance at 372-5257, if they are experiencing no cold water or scalding hot water.

DGR is currently making appointments for flood cleanup, but if residents have the means and would like to expedite the process, said Lorie Dallas, 354th CES housing flight chief, they can remove damaged items themselves and set outside for DGR to pick up.

To get on the list for flood-related repairs, call the housing maintenance office at 372-5257.

Items available through housing's self-help section are: shop vacs, fans, de-humidifiers and pallets to elevate furniture and appliances.

Housing deputy flight chief Dixie Harding, also urged residents who had appliances standing in water, to contact DGR and have them checked prior to usage.

Residents are to report claims for personal items damaged in the flooding to their personal rental insurance company or through: https://claims.jag.af.mil.

The housing office has also given tips to help dry out the basements, such as opening windows when it's not raining, using fans to circulate air and placing them in a way so the air is outward instead of into the room. For non-carpeted floors and walls, it is recommended to scrub them with a disinfecting solution of one-half cup chlorine bleach per gallon of water.

For more information, call the housing inspector at 377-2286, housing maintenance at 372-5257, and housing self-help at 372-3140.