Kotzebue residents work to return to ‘normal’ after major flooding, high winds

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The raw power of Mother Nature was on full display this week in communities in Northwest Alaska.

The City of Kotzebue was hit especially hard by high winds, which have caused flooding and extensive damage to the town of about 3,100.

Eighty residents had to be evacuated from their homes on Tuesday night, and in one case, a man and two young children were forced to spend a night on the roof of his cabin after floodwaters inundated their home and washed away his boat.

Mary Kingeak and her eight-year-old daughter were two of those displaced for the evening. They were rescued by a front loader tractor driven by the borough mayor and stayed in the gymnasium at Kotzebue’s school before returning home Wednesday.

On Thursday, Kingeak said that the town is slowly returning to what it looked like before the storm, but it’s taken quite an effort.

“I’m doing great,” she said. “Things are going back to normal. The city is doing a good job with pumping out the water.”

The mayor of Kotzebue, Derek Haviland Lie, said Wednesday that cleaning up debris was one of his priorities. He’s concerned that freezing temperatures would hinder cleanup efforts until the spring thaw.

“You have leftover water from the flood around my area has already frozen over, so they had to break it just to get to the bottom so they can drain it out,” Kingeak said. “It’s pretty cold out today.”

She said that Front Street and Shore Avenue have been cleaned of debris, and the airport is back open and operational.

Haviland Lei agrees with Kingeak that things have progressed nicely.

“We’re doing okay. We’re still doing the cleanup. We’re going to start assessing the homes today,” he said Thursday afternoon.

He reiterated that cleanup needs to occur before the winter freeze, but they’re currently waiting for resources to come in via the state.

“We only have a few pumps in town that are operational,” the mayor explained. “In our E.O.C. meeting this morning, they were looking for resources from getting more pumps shipped in.

“The standing water that is around town did have a sheet of ice over it this morning, so it is coming, but ... it is a thin sheet of ice, so we’re still able to get through that top layer and start pumping out water.”

Jeremy Zidek with the State of Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says help is on the way, and the state understands the need for speed.

“We have Department of Transportation [DOT] opening up a man camp for some responders that are coming in. The community has requested things like de-watering pumps, dehumidifiers, fans and other equipment to try to get some of that water moved around and get those buildings back up in order,” Zidek said. “There’s a real need to do this work quickly, because temperatures are going to start to drop.

“Wet homes aren’t warm homes.”

Specifically, Zidek said there is a rush to make sure homes are adequate for winter. Officials will be checking insulation and making repairs quickly.

The Division of Forestry and Alaska National Guard will be sending people to help with cleanup and assessment efforts and aid the local resources already available.

“We have activated our mass care task force, and they’re looking at housing needs, feeding needs and rebuilding needs as we move forward, but we’re still very early on in this disaster event,” Zidek explained.

Zidek also said that with Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s disaster declaration on Tuesday, the state has activated the public and individual assistance program.

“[The program is] available to people in the City of Kotzebue if they have damage to their homes, if they have other critical needs that need to be met, or if they need temporary housing for up to 18 months for homeowners and three months for renters,” he said. “That’s now available to them.”

Haviland Lie says there are at least two families that are still displaced and not able to return home.

“We have a family that’s still in the school,” he explained. “They’re not in the gym anymore, they’re in a classroom. But [Kotzebue Electric Association] has stepped up, and they have some apartments that they use for their company.

“We do have one more family that — one of the members is disabled, so we’re having a little bit of a challenge right now trying to find them longterm housing that is accessible to a wheelchair.”

Zidek said those in need of state assistance can call 1-844 445-7131 or go to the state’s website.

Kingeak and her daughter are happy to see the help arrive and are grateful to city officials for their quick action. Now her daughter can return to school after a very scary couple of days.

“When I told her there was school this morning, she got up and she started jumping up for joy,” Kingeak said. “She said, ‘Mom, do we have to sleep at the school again?’

“I told her, ‘No, it‘s not going to be an emergency thing. Now you’re just going to regular school.’”

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