JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - Nine boats have sunk in Juneau’s harbor this week as record-breaking snowfall overwhelms vessels, according to the harbormaster.
The sunken boats range in size from 16 to 58 feet. Dozens more boats are struggling to stay above water as snow accumulates on their decks and structures.
“Three to four dozen that would have sank if action wouldn’t have been taken,” said Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell. “So just the snow loads are tremendous and boats just can’t handle that.”
Harbor crews are working with limited winter staff to address the emergency. The harbor typically operates with only six to 10 people during winter months, since most workers are seasonal employees who work only during summer.
Officials have called in seasonal workers who live in Juneau year-round to help with snow removal efforts.
“Shovel it off as it comes, because you don’t know when more snow is coming, and you don’t know when there might be an opportunity where you can’t make it down to the harbor,” Creswell said. “If you’ve got a boat in the water in this kind of weather, you need to be down there daily checking it out and shoveling it off.”
With more snow forecast for this weekend, boat owners are advised to check their vessels daily. Salvage efforts are already underway for the sunken boats, according to Creswell.
In town, the roof of a local dojo collapsed after the weight of the snow became too much.
Located at 9447 La Perouse Ave, Chief Instructor Doug Murray arrived at Juneau Shotokan Karate the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 31, to find the dojo filled with snow and chunks of the roof.
“It seemed like it happened maybe about three or four in the morning on Wednesday morning,” Murray said. “I showed up about 8:30 that morning and the, the one picture you see with just everything kind of in, in the photo frame was me taking that picture from the doorway, the outside doorway.”
Fortunately, no one was in the building at the time, but much of the equipment and materials inside were ruined, and Murray said they don’t have renter’s insurance
“It’s like, ‘Holy moly you can’t — cause you would normally just be able to walk straight in and walk right out onto the floor, you know, the workout floor, and — you couldn’t even see it.”
Despite the misfortune, Murray is optimistic about the dojo’s future. As he retires from his engineering day job this week, he was hoping to expand class offerings this year. Now, he’s hoping they can find a new location for the 40-year-old business in the next couple months.
“We’ll move forward, you know, we’ll move forward with it,” Murray said. “So, I am a realist as an engineer, it’s kind of hard not to be. You know there’s a passion for it. I love doing it.”
YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP