Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities Newsletter

Issue 27, August 2019

Five Things to Know from this Issue

Due to accelerated erosion in Napakiak, Alaska, the community blocked off their main street and the United States (U.S.) Coast Guard ordered the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) to relocate its bulk fuel tank farm by August 30, 2019, to avoid contaminating the Kuskokwim River with 36,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Unusual August storms dumped rain across Western Alaska, causing flooding and erosion, which damaged property and infrastructure in at least nine communities.
Community leaders and stakeholders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region discussed and prioritized planning actions for the environment, economy, and energy.
In Teller, Alaska, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the pre-investigation phase for a project that would reconstruct the sea wall, which would provide protection from erosion and storm surge flooding.
The opportunity to submit comments on the Denali Commission 2020 Work Plan ends September 2, 2019.

Recent Events

Early August Storm Causes Erosion and Flooding in Western Alaska

After a summer full a record-setting heat and raging wildfires across Alaska, the first week of August brought another weather extreme – record-setting rainfall. An atmospheric river, which is a narrow region of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere, settled in above much of Alaska and resulted in extreme rainfall August 2-3, 2019. In communities across the Western coast, this caused flooding and accelerated erosion, damaging personal property and community infrastructure. The timing of this storm was unusual for the region; normally similar storms occur later in the fall. Below, we share a summary of impacts to communities.

Communities affected by early August storms. Credit: ANTHC.

Accelerated Erosion Causes Street Closure and Rapid Relocation of Fuel Tank Farm in Napakiak, Alaska

The Napakiak School's fuel tanks, pictured above on August 16, 2019 sit less than 100 feet from the eroding riverbank. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.

Heavy rain and accelerated erosion forced Napakiak to block off their main street after conditions became dangerous. The eight feet lost in the storm added to the more than 100 feet that has already been lost this year, according to community measurements. Currently, there is only 76 feet between the approaching shoreline and the Napakiak School fuel tanks. As fall storm season approaches, the U.S. Coast Guard gave the LKSD two weeks to move the fuel tanks, which contain 36,000 gallons of fuel in order to prevent an environmental disaster. LKSD has contracted the construction of a temporary tank farm, which will cost $279,000. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is also watching the situation and will test the ground around the fuel tanks to determine if LKSD needs to clean the soil before it erodes into the river.

Shaktoolik, Alaska’s Storm Surge Berm Provides Vital Protection to the Community

Damage to the Shaktoolik storm surge berm on August 3, 2019. Credit: Native Village of Shaktoolik.

“Our berm saved us.” -Sophia Katchatag, Shaktoolik Community Coordinator

In Shaktoolik, strong winds and high waves battered their coastline and their protective berm. The berm held for now, and provided vital protection to the community. Scientists from the State of Alaska Coastal Hazards Program travelled to Shaktoolik and other Norton Sound communities to take measurements of the erosion and document other storm impacts.

Flooding Impacts Homes in Kotlik, Alaska

Flooding in Kotlik on August 3rd. Credit: Village of Kotlik.

Heavy rain and wind flooded Kotlik, and the community lost approximately four feet of riverbank. Residents are becoming increasingly concerned that flooding poses a significant risk to their community. The Village of Kotlik Tribal Office received many phone calls from individuals seeking assistance to elevate their homes due to water flooding in. The community is searching for funds to buy equipment to raise the homes, which they hope to do with volunteer labor.

Shishmaref, Alaska's Sanitation Road Suffers Damage

“Typically, this amount of damage doesn’t happen until storm season. It is surprising and concerning for our community.” - Twyla Thurmond, Local Coordinator

Damage to the sanitation road in Shishmaref has made it unsafe to drive on. Credit: Native Village of Shishmaref.

In Shishmaref, the storm was so powerful that it ripped rock, rip rap, cement blocks, and boulders that spanned throughout the mile-long stretch of the sanitation road near the shoreline. This caused significant damage to the road itself, making it unsafe to drive on. During the storm, the community leaders held an emergency meeting, where they discussed a safety plan in the event that the storm worsened and also made the decision to move old telephone poles with the help of a loader to block off the damaged portion of the sanitation road and prevent residents from utilizing the road. The community is currently considering different options to apply to grant programs with hopes to repair the damage to the road and protect the remaining shoreline.

Impacts from Other Communities Around Norton Sound

Elsewhere around Western Alaska, communities experienced unusual rainfall and flooding. For photos and videos, see the Alaska Water Level Watch Facebook page. Examples include:

Nome, Alaska received 2.43 inches of rain over a two-day period in August, setting the all-time record for precipitation in a 24-hour period.
According to community observations, Unalakleet, Alaska experienced high gusts of wind and unusually high water.
Coastal flooding was reported at the old shipyard area in St. Michael, Alaska.
In Kotzebue, Alaska water rose about five feet above the normal high tide line, causing coastal flooding.
The main road flooded in Utqiaġvik, Alaska on August 1, 2019.

Community Leaders and Stakeholders Discuss Energy, Environment, and Economy in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Participants at the Yukon-Kuskokwim 3E Work Session in August 2019. Credit: YK 3E Planning Team.

From August 6-7, 2019 community leaders and stakeholders from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region gathered at a conference in Bethel, Alaska to discuss action priorities on the three “E’s” – energy, the environment, and the economy. Within this theme, the conference discussed priorities for addressing environmental impacts to infrastructure, including:

Integrating local knowledge and research to expand baseline data and risk assessments.
Expanding local capacity to complete and carry out community-level plans that identify environmental risks; identifying priority adaptation actions; and increasing communities’ eligibility to receive out-of-region funding.

In the closing remarks, the group decided that the region could not achieve its priorities without adding a fourth “E” – Education. A skilled, knowledgeable work force in the YK Delta is vital if the region is going to tackle these issues.

Click here to read more about the 3E session.

Contact CETC to feature a recent event from your community!

Staff Update: Welcoming Casey Brayton

Casey Brayton (above) has joined the CETC team. Credit: University of South Carolina.

Casey Brayton has joined our team as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer! Her mother is Juliet Larsen Brayton from Cansa’yapi Oyate. Casey recently graduated from the University of South Carolina, where she majored in Marine Science and Geography. She studied sea ice dynamics and sea level rise in collaboration with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. She is a Truman Scholar, Udall Scholar, NOAA Hollings Scholar, and Goldwater Scholar. At ANTHC, she is working with communities to build local capacity and support their efforts to respond to environmental threats.

Community Profile: Teller

Community members in Teller, Alaska have placed old machinery, gravel, wood beams, and other materials along the shoreline in an effort to slow erosion. Credit: Eli Keene.

Problem:

Teller, Alaska – population 229 – is located on a spit between Port Clarence and Grantley Harbor on the Seward Peninsula. Teller is home to both the Native Village of Teller and the Native Village of Mary’s Igloo – which relocated to Teller from their original location approximately 40 miles up the Kuzitrin River in the 1970’s. Annual flooding from fall storms poses the largest threat to the community, forcing many residents of Teller to temporarily relocate during a storm surge. After an extreme flood in 1974, an emergency settlement was constructed two miles away from Teller on higher ground – now called New Site or the Coyote Creek Subdivision. There are now 33 permanent homes in the subdivision, though most lack plumbing and kitchens. Many residents of the town of Teller stay with friends or family in this subdivision during fall flooding.

There have been multiple iterations of a community-built sea wall on the Port Clarence side of Teller. In the 1960’s, the sea wall consisted of large pieces of machinery and scrap metal. A more substantial sea wall, made of oil drums filled with gravel, wood beams, and a wire caging, was constructed in the 1980’s, though large parts of this sea wall were damaged during a storm in 2011. Reduced protection and the decline of shore-fast ice in the fall exacerbate flooding. On the hill overlooking Clarence Bay, the community’s cemetery is also at risk due to erosion, with many grave markers now located dangerously close to the edge. Additionally, permafrost degradation is exacerbating erosion, as well as causing large dips and holes in community roads.

Next Steps:

One of the community’s top priorities is to repair and reinforce the sea wall, as well as to elevate roads to create an emergency evacuation route during flood events. The Army Corps of Engineers is in the pre-investigation phase for a project that would reconstruct the sea wall. There are currently no plans to relocate homes or the cemetery, though the community intends to start developing them soon. The 33 permanent houses located in the Coyote Creek Subdivision are in poor condition, which has hindered discussions of permanent relocation there. According to Tonya Ablowalak, Tribal Administrator for the Native Village of Mary's Igloo, the biggest obstacle Teller faces is the lack of funding to repair the sea wall, elevate the roads, and relocate homes and other infrastructure.

Resources

Opportunity to Comment on the Denali Commission 2020 Work Plan

The Denali Commission has published its Draft Work Plan for 2020, which details proposed plans for spending in the next fiscal year. The Plan is available for public comment until September 2, 2019. If you are interested in submitting a comment, you can mail them to the Denali Commission, Attention: Elinda Hetami, 510 L Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501. Contact Elinda Hetami for more information.

Upcoming Events

2019 FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program Webinar Schedule

FEMA Region 10 has announced the training and technical support schedule for Tribal governments interested in applying for Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants this fall. The schedule and additional application resources can be found here.

Alaska Region Training & Technical Assistance Center Trainings

Project Planning and Development Training

Would you like to learn more about how to plan and develop your projects for grant applications? This three-day training will give participants a foundation for creating community-based projects and grant writing skills. Participants will be able to use their new skills and adapt them to any community, any project, and any funder. Multiple dates and locations will be offered. For more information contact Drena McIntyre.

Call for Abstracts for the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management

The Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management (ATCEM) invites abstract proposals for presentations and technical trainings at the 2019 conference. ATCEM will be held November 19-22, 2019 and hosts over 500 participants. Click here for more information.

News Roundup

Why Has It Been So Wet? We’ve Been Swimming in an Atmospheric River: Storms at the beginning of August brought unusually high levels of precipitation in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for this time of year due to an atmospheric river.

Newtok, Alaska Partners with Military to Escape Coastal Erosion: The Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program—comprised of forces from the Army, Air Force, and Navy—has built a mile of road, a landfill, four houses, and a heavy equipment shop this summer in Mertarvik, Alaska, Newtok, Alaska’s relocation site.

Students in Mertarvik, Alaska Will Go To School in Evacuation Center: This fall, 21 families will be the first residents to relocate from Newtok to Mertarvik. For some students, this will mean leaving most of their friends behind in Newtok and attending school at the Mertarvik Evacuation Center.

Who We Are Film: The short film Who We Are focuses on how coastal erosion is affecting Alaska Native villages and the filmmaker’s connection to her culture and land.

About the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities

The goal of the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC) is to support rural Alaskan communities experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation. The team does this primarily through grant writing, technical assistance, and project coordination.

ETC@anthc.org | (907) 729-4521 | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508

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