There was also heavy damage in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (Mat-Su), north of Anchorage. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District reported that Houston Middle School, located in the town of Houston, was severely damaged, and students were forced to merge with their high school for the remainder of the year. Five other Mat-Su schools took over a week to reopen. Colony Middle School students were the last to return to learning.
