People power (left) and loader and dump trucks were required to remove snow in the record-breaking snow event in Juneau.
Record-breaking snowfall and a state of disaster proclamation didn't deter the Juneau team from keeping the doors open and the freight moving last month. Nearly 7 feet of snow – 80 inches – fell in the capital city in December followed by heavy rain in early January that closed many downtown businesses due to avalanche risk.
Although working in harsh winter conditions is nothing new for the seasoned crews at Alaska Marine Lines and Alaska Marine Trucking, the record setting snow did create some challenges. "It was the snowiest December in 80 years, and it required grueling hours of constant plowing by our ops team," says Adam Anderson, Alaska Marine Trucking Regional Manager in Juneau. "The snow accumulated faster than we could remove it, and we were getting boxed in, but persistence and grit won the day(s). A lot of teamwork took place to keep the snow at bay and reclaim our ground. We had to unbury each other or pull each other out to keep freight moving, safely, and deliberately with no incidents." The work didn't stop when the snow subsided, it was followed by hours of clean up and a massive push to get backlogged freight out the door.
Adam recognized the Maintenance & Repair, Dispatch, and Customer Service teams for working longer hours to communicate with customers and the entire crew. "This team is so well tested with such a high level of professionalism. We all understand that failure is not an option. No one gets groceries and essential supplies if we don't put in the work to keep the freight moving," Adam explains. "Our dispatchers were proactive by communicating with our customers to make sure they could receive freight at their own snowed-in facilities. Some of our customers were shut down for several days dealing with snow removal."
Other Southeast and Southcentral locations were also impacted by heavy snowfall. Anchorage set a record for both daily and monthly accumulation in January, and Haines and Petersburg also got a heavy white blanket. "We had back-to-back storms that left about 40 inches in our yard," explains Kurt Kivisto, Alaska Marine Trucking Service Center Manager in Petersburg. "In a big snow event, our team of 11 knows that we need to come in several hours ahead of the barge to clear the yard. Before winter hits, we make sure equipment is in top condition – from tire chains in trucks to bull chains on the forklifts to personal protective equipment like ice cleats and gloves for our people. Preparation is key when working in changing conditions."
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