Hams bridge gap following Alaskan avalanche: The Juneau (Alaska) ARES was called into action on March 27 to provide communication between Juneau and Thane after an avalanche took out major power and telephone lines and blocked the road. The Alaska Department of Transportation triggered the snow slides in a controlled setting to prevent a potential threat to life and property by an untimely avalanche. Anticipating that telephone service could be out for a while, the Juneau-ARES (including WL7CMQ, NL7XZ, WA6AXO and WL7ET) organized a system to get message traffic to and from Thane. The amateurs announced their plan and offer to help through a local broadcast station and informed the police that they could handle health and welfare inquiries. Jim Dillon, WL7CMQ, who lives on the Thane side of the blocked road, marked his mailbox with yellow tape for use as a message drop. Phone numbers for the amateurs standing by in Juneau were announced, and other hams stayed on the two KL7PF repeaters to assist if necessary. The ARES team used this system to relay messages until telephone lines were reconnected about three hours after the group mobilized.--L. Kent