Napakiak, an isolated settlement in Alaska, is preparing for another storm after intense floods devastated the area earlier this week. Around 350 people live in Napakiak, a village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta accustomed to severe weather. However, the hamlet was unprepared for the latest floods, which occurred outside the typical spring or fall seasons.
The Kuskokwim River swelled on Sunday due to severe rainfall, significantly flooding most of Napakiak. Locals hurried to relocate cars, lock up water tanks, and shield firewood from rising waves. The local preacher Job Hale utilized a front-loader to free those stranded in their raised houses where three feet of water had risen. Even when the water started to recede on Sunday night, two days later, several areas of the community were still submerged.
For Napakiak, erosion has been a persistent problem made worse by climate change. Permafrost melting causes the community to lose up to 100 feet of riverbank annually, causing instability. Severe erosion forced the local school to close this year, leading to its planned demolition. Floods canceled the farewell party, but a new school is being built farther from the river. Napakiak, Alaska, residents prepare for further possible flooding as the town experiences its third storm of the week. The settlement is still substantial, but difficulties like this emphasize how hard the locals continue to fight against the forces of nature.
This news story was originally published by AP News.
