The Matanuska River has drawn a lot of attention to a home in Butte, as the river continues to eat away land underneath the home. The home began tipping into the river on Wednesday.
Somehow, as of Thursday evening, the home still hadn't fallen completely in, but when it does, Mat-Su emergency crews say they'll be ready.
The biggest concern they have is the several bridges that span the river, including two that bring drivers to and from the valley and Anchorage, and the possibility that the floating house might hit them.
Emergency officials say there's about a three-mile distance from the home now to the first bridge, and they're hoping that the strong river current will break down the house into debris, so it doesn't risk hitting a bridge.
"But if it does then at least they’ll know to stop the train, stop the traffic, so that if a house were to hit one of those bridges, there wouldn’t be anybody involved on there," said Casey Cook, the Mat-Su emergency manager.
The Wenner family, who owns the home that's about to fall into the river, says they can't afford the government match program that would help move their home away from the river, and they say they don't have any other land to put their homes on.
Contact Jason Lamb
