Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities

We support communities to address environmental threats and achieve their vision for a safe, healthy, and sustainable future.

Newsletter Issue 41

Four Things You Should Know

1. A Bering Sea storm in November damaged several communities, including $6.5 million of damage in Shishmaref, Alaska.
2. The National Coastal Resilience Fund is investing $1.3 million to support threatened communities with risk assessments!
3. Despite delays due to COVID-19, several environmentally threatened communities made significant progress repairing and protecting infrastructure this construction season.

4. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is open for applications.

Bering Sea Storm Causes $6.5 Million of Damage in Shishmaref

Dennis Davis, a Shishmaref resident, shared a photo of the damage to the sanitation road on his Instagram account. Credit: Dennis Davis. 

A large storm hit the Bering Sea coast the first week of November. High winds, waves, and strong storm surges were reported in several communities. In Shishmaref, residents reported that between 30 and 80 feet of erosion occurred along approximately 5,000 feet of shoreline. There was significant damage to the sanitation road, preventing vehicle access to the landfill. Without access to the landfill and sewage lagoon, the community could be overloaded with garbage and human waste. This creates a considerable health hazard. Community leaders are in the process of deciding what the best solution is for their people. Repairing the road and adding modest protection to 2,000 feet of shoreline is estimated to cost $6.5 million.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Awards $1.3 Million to ANTHC to Complete Risk Assessments in Coastal Communities

We were awarded a $1,360,801 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund to support flood and erosion data collection and modeling in Alaska’s most threatened coastal communities. This is the first large investment in practical science for threatened communities! NOAA’s Office of Coastal Management provided the funding to NFWF for the project. Here’s what we will do: (1) work with the State of Alaska Coastal Hazards Program to collect baseline data, produce erosion and flood assessments based on historical data, and establish community-led monitoring programs; (2) engage a coastal engineering consultant to assess future flood risk, and; (3) based on the risk assessments, work with the State Division of Community and Regional Affairs to support hazard mitigation planning, develop shovel-ready projects, and secure implementation funding for communities’ solutions. If you’re interested in periodic project updates, reply to this email and we’ll keep you in the loop.

Community Construction Updates

Napakiak, Alaska: New boat launch and hovercraft landing site

The Native Village of Napakiak finished construction on a new boat launch and hovercraft landing site in July. The community’s old boat launch and hovercraft landing site was lost to a large erosion event in May 2018 when nearly 100 feet of land washed away. The project took over two years to complete due to delays in selecting a contractor and the complexities and expense of procuring equipment. The new site is located on higher ground about one mile from the erosion-threatened area. Photo credit: Heather Gross, Summit Consulting Services. 

Napakiak, Alaska: Half of new subdivision road

The first half of a new road for the managed retreat subdivision site was completed in September. The road will be used to access the new school site and a new subdivision site where erosion-threatened homes will be relocated. Photo credit: Heather Gross, Summit Consulting Services. 

Chevak, Alaska: Erosion-threatened home relocated

A local construction team stands with the homeowners (kneeling) after their erosion-threatened home was relocated. The family's home was relocated with funds from the Denali Commission and the City of Chevak in August. The home was located on an eroding bluff, 25 feet from the river. The construction team moved the home to a safe location 250 feet from the erosion-threatened area. Photo Credit: Richard Tuluk, City of Chevak.

Kotlik, Alaska: Sandbags provide emergency protection for erosion-threatened homes

This summer, Kotlik’s local erosion program, a team of six community members, placed sandbags in front of two homes that are imminently threatened by erosion. Photo credit: Philomena Keyes, Village of Kotlik. 

Kivalina, Alaska: Evacuation route and school access road

An evacuation and school site access road was completed in Kivalina this fall. The road connects the barrier island on which Kivalina is located to the mainland and provides a safe evacuation route to higher ground on Kisimigiuqtuq Hill (K-Hill). The road goes to the community’s expansion site, where a new school will be constructed. Once the school is constructed, it will be used as an evacuation shelter. More information about the evacuation and school access site road can be found on the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities website and in a recent KTOO article. Photo Credit: Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, ANTHC. 

Akiak, Alaska: Six erosion-threatened homes in Akiak relocated

Kwethluk, Alaska: Five erosion-threatened homes in Kwethluk relocated

Additionally, the NRCS EWP program funded the relocation of five erosion-threatened homes in Kwethluk this summer. The photo above shows one of the homes before relocation. NRCS requires their staff to inspect and certify that projects are completed. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel to rural Alaska is risky for residents and NRCS staff. To certify projects remotely, NRCS turned to a creative solution­­ ­– satellites. Using satellite images at each project site in August and September, NRCS verified that the homes in Kwethluk and Akiak were relocated to safer sites. Read the full story by NRCS here. Photo Credit: NRCS.

Funding Opportunities

FEMA BRIC Program Open for Applications

The FEMA BRIC program is now open for applications. BRIC replaces the Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program and will provide $500 million for mitigation planning and projects nationwide. All Alaska Native Tribes with an active Hazard Mitigation Plan are eligible to apply.

• Due Date: Applications open September 30, 2020, and applications are due by January 29, 2021.
• For more information and to access applicant webinars, click here

News Roundup

Climate Change is forcing some villages to move. What is the government doing to help?: Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Senior Project Manager for Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and Jocelyn Fenton, Transportation and Infrastructure Protection Manager for Denali Commission, talk with Alaska Public Media about how the increasing frequency and severity of storms threaten coastal communities across rural Alaska.

Arctic Report Card: Update for 2020: NOAA's Arctic Program released their annual update to the Arctic Report Card. The findings show that the Arctic continues to shift to a warmer, less frozen, and biologically changed region. 

The Arctic Institute launched a two-part series looking at the scientific, security, legal, and personal impacts of permafrost thaw in the Arctic.

Reframing the Language of Retreat: As more communities are adapting to environmental threats, it is important to reconsider and reframe the language of “managed retreat” to ensure communities’ right to self-determination.

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 | www.anthc.org/cetc | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508

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