Mat-Su House Slowly Sinking Into River

The Matanuska River flooded it's banks and is taking this house, located in the Butte area near Palmer, with it. Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA - Anchorage

A home that was flooded by the Matanuska River two weeks ago is slowly sinking over the riverbank now, after an effort to protect it from riverbank erosion with sandbags failed. The swollen Matanuska is undermining it and Matanuska Susitna Borough emergency official Casey Cook says the structure is disintegrating.

The house was abandoned earlier this month, along with a second house on the property. Cook says the Borough is has not yet declared an emergency situation for the affected homeowners. Two houses in the Butte area near Palmer and three houses in Sutton are affected by high water.