By Daily Mail Reporter Residents trapped in a remote Alaskan town after two avalanches blocked the only route in on Friday could remain trapped for four more days as road crews struggle to clear the snow. Banks of snow about 40ft high were dumped on Richardson Highway, which runs parallel to the trans-Alaska pipeline, on Friday. The weight of snow damned the Lowe River, creating a half-mile long lake filled with 500 million gallons of icy water. Concerns that the unstable dam could breach its banks if snow is cleared too quickly has delayed efforts to reopen the vital route into Valdez, a town of 4,100 people.
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Supplies are airlifted into Valdez for town's 4,000 residents who have been trapped since Friday
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Heavy rain triggered two avalanches that dumped up to 100ft of snow on the highway
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Homes near a 500 million gallon lake created by the ice dam are evacuated
Road block: Snow from an avalanche engulfs @placeholder's Richardson Highway