Larri Spengler has seen her fair share of avalanches.<\/p>\n
Spengler, who is Secretary for the Thane Neighborhood Association, said that’s just the reality of living in the shadow of Mount Roberts.<\/p>\n
“My husband and I have lived out here since 1989, so we’ve had invited and uninvited avalanches come down,” Spengler said.<\/p>\n
The invited avalanches prevent the uninvited avalanches, and for years have been prompted by a howitzer cannon fired by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities.<\/p>\n
“It was noisy for the dogs who don’t enjoy fireworks,” Spengler said. “It would just be rolling thunder just about the same as fireworks.”<\/p>\n
“That wasn’t a complaint,” she added. “We would welcome the booms, but it would confine the dogs.”<\/p>\n
[Avalanche surprises downtown Juneau neighborhood<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n The reason Spengler spoke in the past tense is because during this afternoon’s avalanche mitigation, the department of transportation will use a new piece of equipment known as a DaisyBell<\/a> on the slopes over Thane Road rather than the howitzer folks may be accustomed to seeing and hearing.<\/p>\n “The howitzer was very dramatic,” said Aurah Landau, public information officer for Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Southcoast Region. “This is much less dramatic —more effective but less dramatic.”<\/p>\n Thane Road will be closed from noon-2 p.m. today for the hazard reduction.<\/p>\n An explosion cone<\/strong><\/p>\n The DaisyBell looks like a megaphone pointing at the ground, and during usage it dangles underneath a helicopter.<\/p>\n Gas is ignited inside the DaisyBell, and the explosion from ignition creates force that is amplified and directed by the conical device. The pressure wave is what clears out snow and reduces avalanche risk.<\/p>\n The product isn’t yet widespread.<\/p>\n Landau said there are just six in the U.S., but the DaisyBell is surprisingly common in the capital city.<\/p>\n There are three DaisyBells in Alaska, Landau said, and two of them are in Juneau. One is with the department of transportation and the other has been with Alaska Electric Light and Power Company for almost a decade.<\/p>\n Mike Janes, avalanche forecaster for AEL&P, said the power company has had its DaisyBell since 2010 and was among the earliest adapters of the device, which has received frequent use.<\/p>\n “I think we’ve used 800 or 900 shots (explosions) with it,” Janes said. “We were the first ones in North America to use it operationally.”<\/p>\n