I am writing this letter in hopes of getting power back to the homes on Beach Road.

AP&T has been quite clear that to do this, they need the Borough to tell them the area is safe enough to reinstall power.

The EOC has passed responsibility for this decision on to the Assembly, since we are now in recovery mode.

We hope to get a report from the latest geotechnical analysis very soon. However, we cannot expect a guarantee of safety in this report. The geology above Beach Road is never going to be completely safe. There is weak rock and it rains a lot. But this can also be said for various other areas of Haines.

It seems to me that we have got about as much information on safety as we are going to get for quite some time. And it is a very good sign that nothing much has happened geologically in the Beach Road area for the past several months. Even an earthquake did not cause any more slide activity.

Therefore I implore the Borough Assembly to make the decision that it is safe enough to restore power now, and to pass this decision on to AP&T. It is still relatively cold and working conditions are still good. The Assembly members are the only people who can make this happen, and I am asking them to do this. Please restore power now.

Thank you.

Michael Balise

Author