Breakup in Alaska is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, when the ice goes out in the rivers, we know that winter is finally, finally over. But on the other hand, sometimes the ice goes out unevenly, with the ice jamming up in huge building-size jagged chunks that clog up downstream and cause massive flooding. The flooding can cause only minor problems, like having to patch roads. But sometimes the flooding causes severe problems, with homes being washed away, communities displaced, lives disrupted. At times entire village communities disappear in the water, causing untold grief and despair. The students in Rural Sociology (SOC 301, Summer 2013, University of Alaska Fairbanks) will research and analyze the issues of flooding in rural Alaska and share their insights on this blog. Key questions that we will address include:
- how are people and their families and friends affected by floods?
- what are the social mechanisms that affect floods?
- how are communities affected by flooding?
- what are the policy implications of flood?
- are some segments of society differentially affected by flooding, e.g. what are the impacts of race/ethnicity, gender, social class, spatiality, age, and other markers of difference?
Here is a graphic contributed by Amelia that gives info on flood safety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gA9AiBCgOI
ReplyDeleteThis is a short news video of the 2009 flood that hit Eagle, Alaska. I was living in Dawson City, YT at the time, and many Dawsonites really came together to help out a neighboring community on the river.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XL5vsvWuBI
This is another short video, from a few days later when then Governor Sarah Palin visited Eagle and talked about the flooding and devastation.
The town of Eagle is on the southern bank of the Yukon River, 8 miles west of the border between Alaska and the Yukon Territory (Canada) on the Taylor Highway. As of 2010, the population was 86.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130516/eagle-residents-watch-potential-yukon-river-flooding
This article from this year's break-up talks about the 2009 flood and worries for this year.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130517/after-scare-alaska-town-clear-yukon-ice-moves-downstream
This article, from a day later, talks about the flooding that happened in Eagle this year. Much less devastating than the flood of 2009
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04142.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis is an extensive congressional report (2003) entitled ALASKA NATIVE VILLAGES. Most Are Affected by Flooding and Erosion, but Few Qualify for Federal Assistance
Really, the title says it all. The 91 pages just flesh out the details. This was produced by the United States General Accounting Office. The second page is a highlight of findings, including a statement that flooding and/or erosion affect 86% of Alaska Native villages.
The National government's site providing information about flooding in Alaska; includes statistics on flooding, amount of money spent this year with issues related to flooding, and how to help those affected by the floods.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fema.gov/plan-prepare-mitigate
This year Galena was hard hit with a devastating flood that destroyed more than 90% of the buildings in the town of around 400 residents. The waters started rising on May 28th due to an ice jam on the Yukon River caused by the accelerated melting of the water due to an extended cold-season this year.
ReplyDeleteLeaving the village in incapacitated with no running water, electricity, and limited amount of food and water, residents of Galena evacuated into Fairbanks, Alaska where temporary shelter was provided.
In total there was more than $10 million in damage and more than 225 homes were damaged or left inhabitable.
Article about the flood with a photo slideshow at the end:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/17/galena-alaska-struggles-rebuild-after-yukon-river-ice-jam-causes-devastating-flood-149945
Map Comparison of Galena Flooding:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81227
http://start.toshiba.com/news/read/category/Top%20News/article/ap-flooded_alaska_town_looking_to_dispose_o-ap
DeleteAn expanded look into the damages caused by the Galena flood. Of particular note is the state of vulnerability that the village is left in.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/galena-flood-victims-find-refuge-in-fairbanks-willow-house/article_a7f9f59e-c9a3-11e2-9838-001a4bcf6878.html
ReplyDeleteThis article on the impact of the flood in Galena this year talks about the temporary home at Willow House, a former Hotel owned by the Tanana Chiefs Conference for rural residents to stay at when in Fairbanks for medical reasons. You can feel the shock still affecting them, and the journalist interviews volunteers and evacuees, and lists meetings and fairs to help Galena residents get services and information.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100493817315113784786/posts/YYkinyZRzby
This is a slideshow video made by Galena resident Kaylin Kopp about her experience.
http://fmreview.nonuniv.ox.ac.uk/FMRpdfs/FMR31/30-32.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis 3 page summary, Alaskan communities’
rights and resilience, discusses the difficulty of relocation for vulnerable coastal communities.
It provides recommendations to State and Federal Government to:
■ allow the affected community to be a key player in the relocation process
■ ensure culturally and linguistically
appropriate mechanisms for
participation and consultation
■ ensure families and tribes remain
together during relocation
■ keep socio-cultural
institutions intact
■ protect subsistence rights
and customary communal
rights to resources
■ safeguard rights to safe and
sanitary housing, potable
water, education and other
basic amenities
■ implement sustainable
development opportunities
as part of the relocation
process (and thereby enhance
community resilience).
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1313332?seq=1
ReplyDeleteFlooding and Ecosystem Dynamics along the Tanana River by John Yarie, Leslie Viereck, Keith van Cleve and Phyllis Adams (1998)
This academic paper talks about how flooding affects plant growth and soil development. (6 pages)
http://www.flood.alaska.gov/
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to information on Alaska floods. It even contains information on the disaster assistance offered after the storms of September of 2012.
Many people were affected by the September storms. Railways and roads were washed out. Many people had to find alternative ways home when the Parks was temporarily closed due to flooding. Houses and belongings were destroyed.
Here is a link to multiple articles and photographs on the September storms from ktuu.com.
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-alaska-windstorm--anchorage-20120917,0,4840608.special
Flooding often has negative impacts on a community's drinking water sources. Many chemicals will be absorbed into the groundwater that is used for drinking. Water must be tested after floods to ensure the health of the people.
Here is a link to a synopsis of the weather of September 2012. It details the effects of the weather and locations of flooding and windstorms.
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Summary/Synoptic/2012/Sep
Another blog about Rural Alaska. In this update, the author is featuring different photos from different villages that have been affected by the 2013 flooding.
ReplyDeleteThis year's flooding is mainly caused by an unusually late winter and a sudden increase in temperature. Villages along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers have been heavily affected. Waters have reached as high as 10 feet in some places, while whole villages have been wiped out.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/140902
Alaska Federation of Natives
ReplyDeleteFederal Erosion and Flood Control Assistance for Alaska Native Villages
As of 2007, 184 of the 244 Natives villages in rural Alaska are affected by serious erosion and flooding. Special considerations of the land, climate, and resources must be accounted due to Alaska's unique geography and climate. Some issues being faced are:
- Coastal and river flooding and erosion resulting from rising temperatures
- Melting sea ice has left coasts vulnerable to waves, storm surges and erosion
- Thawing permafrost has caused serious damage, as buildings and runways sink into unstable ground
- Eroded land has exposed sewer and septic
systems, jeopardized community water lines, affected the availability of groundwater and
surface water, undermined roads and utilities structures, and rendered unusable many
road systems that are the only available escape routes in times of emergency
http://www.housemajority.org/coms/cli/fed_natives_erosion_control.pdf
Here is a research project published by Brookings-LSE about "Climate Induced Displacement of Alaska Native Communities.
ReplyDeleteIt introduces the needs of these villages as climate change has lead to more disastrous flooding, the melting of permafrost. Despite spending millions of dollars, the traditional methods of erosion control and flood protection have not been able to protect some communities. This paper presents a brief overview of climate change in Alaska, examines the impact of climate change on Alaska Native rural villages, and analyzes the state, federal and community
responses.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/1/30%20arctic%20alaska%20bronen/30%20climate%20alaska%20bronen%20paper.pdf
Here is a link to a list of communities that are participating in the National Flood Insurance Program.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fema.gov/cis/AK.html
Here is a link to a summary of the National Flood Insurance Program.
http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pdfs/NFIP_Summary_of_Coverage.pdf
It discusses what is covered by the insurance program as well as various other policies. Flood insurance doesn't really cover septic systems or other outdoor appliances. People don't ever truly get back what they lost.
http://www.anthc.org/cs/dehe/sustops/swm/upload/SW-Solutions-in-Rural-Alaska-07.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis pdf gives a summary of a problem that many people don't think about as a result of flooding: the contamination of land due to the mixture of flood waters and solid waste. During floods, the waters often go through waste transfer sites and city dumps. Additionally, water comes into contact with solid waste when litter is dumped along the banks of sloughs and rivers and the waters rise with the spring thaw. This contact causes harmful contaminants to form, which are then deposited into soil, affecting plant and animal life. This becomes a major issue in rural Alaska, where the majority of people support themselves via subsistence hunting and farming.