Shaktoolik has lost its berm to the storm that’s hammered Western Alaska over the weekend, according to Mayor Lars Sookiayak. The berm was all that protected the small village from the sea.
“It’s a major loss,” Sookiayak said. “We’re pretty heartbroken.”
Shaktoolik, a village of roughly 220 people, sits on a gravel-and-sand spit between the Tagoomenik River and Norton Sound.
Resident Gloria Andrew also underscored the importance of the berm, made of gravel, sand and driftwood. She estimated the berm was destroyed between about 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
“It really saved us from the first hit that came in this morning,” she said.
On Saturday, he and Sookiayak both said they were worried about what might happen overnight.
“The state has been in contact with us and they say the worst is yet to come,” said Sookiayak. “So we don’t know what to expect, and we’re just going to have to go on their word.”
Sookiayak called on the community to evacuate to the local school early Saturday morning. People set up cots and air mattresses in the building, Andrew said. She spoke from her home, where she was checking on her family’s dogs and cat.
By late Saturday afternoon, Sookiayak said he had not heard of any storm-related injuries, and he said everyone was accounted for. Aside from the berm, he was also concerned about storm-fueled erosion that occurred a few miles from town, tearing into the coastline.
“We’re almost becoming an island,” he said.
He asked people to keep Shaktoolik in their prayers.
Andrew said, “We need all the good thoughts and prayers for the villages.”
For more on the storm, visit Alaska Public Media’s live blog.
