What you need to know:
- The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Mat-Su College on Saturday night due to severe windstorms and a fire in Wasilla. Additional shelters were also available in Sutton and at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
- Wind gusts around 9 p.m. Saturday reached 84 mph at the Palmer Airport and 47 mph at the Wasilla Airport.
- About 20,000 households in the Mat-Su area were without power Saturday night. A fire at a five-plex in Wasilla displaced nine people; firefighters struggled to control the blaze due to the high winds.
- Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.
PALMER — An emergency American Red Cross shelter was scheduled to open at 10 p.m. Saturday at Mat-Su College to assist people in need of shelter due to the ongoing windstorm and a fire at a multiplex in Wasilla.
“The American Red Cross of Alaska is supporting a shelter that will be open tonight at 10 p.m. due to multiple emergencies happening in the Mat-Su Valley,” Red Cross officials said in a press release sent late Saturday. “The shelter located at Mat-Su College is open and available to anyone without power who needs to stay overnight or needs a place to warm up and access power.”
The shelter is located in the Glenn Massay Theater, according to the release. Service animals are allowed in the shelter, but pets are not, Red Cross officials said…