The electric company (a private company) is/was trying to get help from the state but it appears that they're not going to get it because it doesn't fit the criterion for disaster, i.e. we still have power, just at an elevated cost. Although some small towns in southeast Alaska have historically had high costs per kwh those small towns qualify for relief (for instance, instead of paying the assessed 46 cents per kwh, in actuality they pay 29 cents.) Ironically, Juneau doesn't qualify because we are not in the bush.

Local bloggers have been saying that the company should have carried insurance against such an eventuality, that some smaller cities around here do have insurance. I don't know the ins and outs of it.

In my opinion the company should have either buried the lines underground for a mile or two in the steepest terrain or should have put up barriers that would have cut a slide in half at each tower. But some people who should know say that neither option would have worked, becasue @1: high power lines arc and cannot easily or safely be put through conduit and #2: that the avalanche mass was so tall and carried so much tonnage that it would hve overwhelmed any barrier.