There are ways to stay safe this winter, whether it be in the backcountry or in the comfort of your own home.
Tom Mattice, the City's Emergency Program Manager, spoke about ways to be prepared.
"We recognize that southeast Alaska gets diverse winter weather. Sometimes when winter storms approach we might not see a barge for a week or two. So people should always have at least seven days of food at their home and always have a go bag packed in case something should happen at their home that includes their medications and prescriptions and other things like that. But most of the time the barges come in and we're good. So it's the rest of the stuff we have to worry about. Icy sidewalks, too much snow, slick roads, too much snow leads to avalanches and can also lead to mudslides."
Mattice shared the city's response in lieu of a mudslide or avalanche. "We have a lot of search and rescue teams and we have a lot of responders that attend to avalanche events. Whether that happens in the urban interface or in the backcountry.