Flooding, high winds creating havoc amid Western Alaska storm

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Reports of flooding and wind damage are coming in from many communities across Western Alaska following a large storm that moved through the area.

In response, a state of emergency has been declared for the City of Kotzebue and the Northwest Arctic Borough, according to Alaska State Troopers and Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

In Kotzebue, a spokesperson with the police department confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the airport was closed due to the storm.

State troopers said that a man and two kids were caught in the flooding in a cabin about 15 miles north of Kotzebue. Authorities said the man told troopers his boat had been taken away by the high winds and surf.

The man was able to stay in contact by text message, according to troopers, and a mission to go out to rescue the three stranded people was being put in action Wednesday morning by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center.

Photos taken in Kotzebue show flood waters submerging areas around housing in the small community of 3,100 people.

Water levels have surged several feet inland, causing inundation around buildings and over roads.

As of Wednesday morning, most residents were being allowed back into their homes. According to the City of Kotzebue, a total of 80 residents needed to be evacuated.

Mary Kingeak described her and her eight-year-old daughter being picked up from her home in a front loader tractor driven by Borough Mayor Dickie Moto.

“My reality kicked in, and my daughter got scared, which unlocked a new fear for her,” Kingeak said. “I had to pick up my big girl attitude and fix everything and tell her everything is going to be okay.

“Because as soon as the loader came in to pick us up, she started crying. So me, being the only parent, I did what I can to reassure [her] that everything was going to be okay.

“The loader, literally had to drive all the way up to the stairs just to let me and quite a few of the other tenants onto the loader to go to the next block just to reach dry land.”

Areas of Kotzebue were under upwards of five feet of water, according to the city.

“When we reached the school last night, my daughter just sat there and prayed,” Kingeak remembered. “There were quite a few people that had to get evacuated through their windows due to their entrance being submerged into water.

“There’s a team of Huskies that somebody has. They were being rescued last night as well, when the loader was coming over to pick us up. They had quite a few people helping to get their dogs, because where they were at it was getting flooded really bad with water.”

Kingeak and her daughter were two of 60 evacuees who stayed at Kotzebue’s school gymnasium. Others were housed at the Kotzebue Electric Association and Maniilaq Health Center buildings.

Kingeak says she was able to reenter her home around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and assess the damage.

“The floor got a little — it like cracked some of the tiles, because I’m on first floor, and so it cracked some of the tiles,” she said.

“But I’m not that quite worried, because they were getting ready to renovate this building anyways.”

She says her concern now is for the well-being of her daughter.

“She’s doing a lot better,” Kingeak said through tears. “When I was reading her the updates about our area, she smiled, which gave me a lot of comfort, because, you know, I barely slept last night at the school.

“It’s just kind of crazy seeing your daughter experience a new fear, and while she was sleeping last night, I kind of cried, because being a single parent and watching your daughter experience a new fear is one of the worst feelings ever.”

Northwest Arctic Borough Director of Public Safety Chris Hatch and his team helped people in the shelters last night as a joint response.

“We fed them last night, both food from the borough and from local businesses, and then this morning, we got up, we made them breakfast, and the water is receded,” Hatch said.

“So people are pulling out through the morning and going back to their homes and figuring out where they’re going to be. We have a couple of families that the E.O.C. here in Kotzebue is working to provide or find longer-term shelter for them.”

“Honestly, we were really lucky. There were, if any, just minor injuries through the evening, everyone’s safe today, and that, that’s the goal,” he added.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration, allowing for funds and resources to be used in aiding emergency response efforts.

“I want to thank Rep. Tom Baker for highlighting the urgency and severity of the weather event that brought about this disaster declaration,” Dunleavy said. “This state disaster declaration enables us to address ongoing emergency response needs and support communities in their recovery.”

City Mayor Derek Haviland Lie has been assessing damage and attending emergency meetings.

“I don’t have the logistics on that yet, but everything has been been set in motion, and even this morning, a lot of that information was still forthcoming because this is all just starting,” explained Haviland Lie.

“But it does allow us to get the assistance from the state with the disaster declaration and get funding help from the state as well.”

He says right now there are two main goals: One is to help displaced families find a place to stay.

“We have a few families that are not able to return home right now, most of those are because of water damage in the homes,” he said.

“We did have one home that was close to the shore that actually is thankfully still standing, but the ground under the home was eroded away, so that that home is not safe to be in right now, and it’s not not on a foundation anymore.”

He says Brice Construction has a man camp near town that has already been winterized, but the company is working to open the camp to those in need.

The other goal is to get rid of storm debris as quickly as possible.

“I have instructed the public works department from the city to try to prioritize as best they can debris clean up around town because we are in freezing temperatures right now,” said the mayor. “So I was hoping to get as much of the debris cleaned up as quickly as possible before it freezes because once it freezes, it’s going to be stuck there until until spring.

“We’re hovering right around freezing temperatures. So I know that the public works crew is very busy and doing the best they can.”

Haviland Lie says his community is grateful for the outreach and is pulling together despite the current circumstances.

“I‘m real proud to be from Kotzebue,” he said. “When it’s situations like this, we always come together, pull together for the best of our community, and I’m very proud of it.”

Most of the flood advisories and warnings for western Alsaka were lifted early Wednesday morning as the high winds taper off.

In an earlier statement to Alaska’s News Source sent on Tuesday, Haviland-Lie said he is asking residents to shelter in place “until the storm passes.”

“The safety and well being of our residents is most important,” Haviland-Lie said. “We are deeply appreciative of the Governor’s swift action in providing us with much-needed assistance. The City Council and administration has established a response team in coordination with the Northwest Arctic Borough and many regional and state entities to ensure that we have the best response possible to this disaster. We have received multiple reports of homes flooding, and significant portions of our infrastructure are currently inundated. Additionally, the Small Boat Harbor and North Tent City are no longer in their original locations. We will continue working tirelessly to safeguard our community.”

State troopers also reported that high winds and surf — which have since died down as of Wednesday morning — forced multiple homes in Kotzebue to be evacuated as some parts of town sustained damage, most notably structures on Front Street and the south side of the town.

A shelter has been set up at Maniilaq Health Center, according to troopers, and the high school is also set up to accept people seeking shelter.

If you are seeing ongoing storm impacts in your area, you can submit photos and video on Alaska’s News Source.

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