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Alaskan officials were in contact with some of America’s most remote villages Monday to establish their food and water requirements, as well assess the damage from Hurricane Ike. Massive storm floodsThis weekend, communities along the state’s vast west coast.
No one was reported injured or killed during the massive storm — the remnants of Typhoon Merbok — as it traveled north through the Bering Strait over the weekend. There was however damage to homes and roads. Other infrastructureAs floodwaters recede, the truth is only beginning to emerge.
About 21,000 residents living in the small communities dotting a 1,000-mile stretch of Alaska’s western coastline — a distance longer than the entire length of California’s coast — were impacted by the storm.
Many homes were submerged by floodwaters and others were toppled by strong winds. Officials began to assess the damage to roads and ports as well as water and sewage systems.
According to the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesperson Jeremy Zidek (State Transportation Department), most of the area’s airports are open and officials are making repairs or temporary modifications to runways that have problems.
Pictured: An aerial view of Deering, Alaska, damaged by Typhoon Merbok, taken on Sept. 18, 2022.
(Petty Officer 3rd Grade Ian Gray/U.S. Coast Guard
Monday’s storm was still stalled in the Chukchi Sea. northwest AlaskaHowever, it was rapidly eroding after reaching its peak of power and influencing weather patterns from faraway places like California.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kaitlyn Lardeo stated that coastal flood warnings were extended to an area north from the Bering Strait because water will slow down in towns such as Kotzebue and Kivalina.
Shishmaref experienced water surges of 5.5 feet above normal tide level. Kotzebue, Kivalina and Kotzebue had smaller surges but were still without power Monday morning, she stated.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Sunday identified five communities — Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, Golovin, Newtok and Nome — as being greatly impacted by a combination of high water, flooding, erosion and electrical issues. Nome was one of the many communities that reported road damage following tidal surges measuring 11.1 feet higher than normal.
PUERTO ROICO HURRICANE WARNING IS SUBMITTED FOR TROPICAL STORM IONA
Zidek reported that officials from the state were monitoring the five victims, while also reaching out and assessing the damage in every community.
“While the needs may be greater in some, we don’t want to neglect those other communities that have minor issues that still need to be resolved,” he said. Due to poor communication, it was difficult to reach some communities.
The state’s emergency operations center is fully staffed with military, state agencies and volunteer organizations to address the aftermath of the storm.
Alaska National Guard members in the western half of the nation’s largest state have been activated to help, either in the communities where they live or elsewhere along the coast, he said.
American Red Cross has fifty volunteers who are available to help in any way they can. These volunteers will go to those communities most in need.
Since there are not many roads in western Alaska the majority of support personnel will be required to fly to these communities. Air support will be provided by the Alaska National Guard, small commuter airline that regularly fly between these small villages, and possibly bush pilots.
WEATHER PATTERN FOR BRINGING RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS TO OVER PLAINS
Zidek indicated that the forecast was favorable to conduct response operations despite the fact that weather always impacts rural Alaska flights.
“Three may be another smaller weather front coming in, but it’s nothing unusual for this time of the year,” he said.
Dunleavy stated that he would request a federal declaration of disaster as soon as the agencies have collected sufficient information. If the governor approves, Dunleavy stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover at least 75% eligible disaster costs and the state would pay the rest.
Dunleavy stated that time is of the essence as freeze-up (meaning the beginning of winter) can occur as early as October.
“We just have to impress upon our federal friends that it’s not a Florida situation where we’ve got months to work on this,” he said. “We’ve got several weeks.”
