The Northwest Arctic community of Kotzebue is starting recovery efforts after a coastal storm caused widespread flooding in the town of over 3,000 people. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration Tuesday in response, and emergency efforts are continuing as multiple organizations assess the damage.
Residents began evacuating their homes on Tuesday afternoon as rising water levels threatened numerous structures. Over 80 residents evacuated their homes on Tuesday night. Residents were evacuated by the city’s ambulances, with some people riding in the buckets of bulldozers.
The majority of displaced residents stayed in Kotzebue’s high school gym, and others at the hospital, hotel, businesses or with relatives. The borough and a local restaurant, Little Louie’s, provided pizza and breakfast in the morning.
Representatives from a multi-agency emergency response team say at least one home has collapsed into Kotzebue Sound because of the flooding. Officials say multiple homes may also be too damaged to live in, as winter quickly approaches.
Dozens of tents at a seasonal fish camp on Kotzebue’s northside of town have completely washed away and at least one sled dog team has also been displaced. The city says seasonal structures around the Swan Lake dock have also washed away.
Kotzebue schools and numerous businesses remained closed on Wednesday. The town’s airport runways closed on Tuesday due to excessive ice and winds. Flights were scheduled as of noon on Wednesday – although it was unclear if those planes would be able to land. Photos circulating on social media show Alaska Airlines’ terminal flooded.
Emergency officials are encouraging residents to take photos and save receipts in order to document the damages.
Several other communities have also experienced flooding because of the storm, including the coastal communities of Deering and Shishmaref.