Warm Temperatures Cause Melting, Flooding

City road crews and flood restoration businesses busy

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By Lauren Maxwell
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Story Created: Jan 14, 2013 at 6:39 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jan 14, 2013 at 7:06 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - Mother Nature is hitting Anchorage hard with a winter warm-up that’s causing flooding problems around town. The thaw is keeping city road crews on their toes, trying to thaw melting storm drains that in most cases are frozen solid.

Temperatures in the 40s have turned low-lying roads into lakes, and caused headaches for homeowners as well. Gerald Leiners runs a business called Clean Team that specializes in flood restoration. KTVA caught up with him Monday afternoon removing water from a homeowner’s garage, one of several he planned to visit that day.

“As soon as people started getting up to work I started getting calls that there was water in basements and garages,” said Leiners. “I think I got four more after this one on the books to take care of, and this isn't the worst one I'm going to see.”

A little further down Mariner Drive things did look worse. A small stream had crossed the road and sandbags were barely holding it at bay. Still, some are taking it in stride.

“It’s kind of what it is,” said Ray Koch, who has owned a home next to the creek for seven years. “You live next to a greenbelt easement and have the luxury of the creek and the easement and it kind of goes with the territory.”

City crews said by late Monday they had gotten a handle on much of the standing water around town, but still planned to work through the night. They said the next biggest challenge would be repairing the potholes that were already starting to emerge.

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UMM said on Wednesday, Jan 16 at 12:14 AM

Warm Temp cause melting, good thing to know. I can't wait till I find out what cold temps do.

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