After storm batters flood waters receding western Alaska

 By the worst storm in a half century in parts of western Alaska floodwaters were receding, leaving behind debris flung by powerful Bering Sea waves into beaches and seaside communities.

National Weather Service meteorologist, Kaitlyn Lardeo, said that from the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s northwest coast the remnants of Typhoon Merbok were weakening Sunday as the storm system moved north, where it still threatens smaller communities.

She said that “For the next few days this guy is going to hang out in the Chukchi Sea and just rapidly weaken because it’s so stationary”. 

By the force of the incoming water several communities reported homes were knocked off their foundations, often propelled by winds gusting near 70 miles per hour (113 kilometres per hour). Under a bridge until it got caught one house floated down a river in Nome.

About 450 residents on the western coast sought refuge in shelters; many homes were flooded, in Hooper Bay with more than half of them at a school, where they ate processed moose donated by village residents. Outside their communities others rode out the storm on higher ground.

To cover the mainland U.S. from the Pacific Ocean to Nebraska and from Canada to Texas it was a massive storm system big enough. As far away as California it influenced weather systems, in the northern part of the state where a rare late-summer storm dropped rain, offering a measure of relief complicating fire suppression efforts but also to wildfire crews because of mud and loosened earth.

Mike Dunleavy said along 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometres) of the Alaska coastline, Alaska Gov the storm’s crashing waves caused widespread flooding and damage.

The governor said during a Sunday news conference there have been no reports of injuries, deaths or missing people in Alaska. He said a child reported missing Saturday was later found.

Above the normal tide and other communities may have surpassed levels seen 48 years ago, the storm caused Nome’s highest water level since 1974 — 11.1 feet (3.38 meters).

Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks said “One of the big features of this storm was the wide swath of significant damage”.

About a half mile away Becca Luce and her family live off the Bering Sea coast in Nome.

She said “From our living room we have a pretty good view of the ocean”. “From our window and going over the road we could see the waves crashing.”

For the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Nome itself was inundated, including Front Street, the city’s main business thoroughfare that also doubles as the finish line.

On Saturday night, The Bering Sea Bar and Grill, One downtown restaurant, was destroyed by fire, but the cause and whether it was related to the storm is not yet known, said interim city manager Bryant Hammond.

Hammond said, including trash, logs and other organic debris, rocks, and asphalt the receding water revealed the detritus left in streets and yards. To use a bypass to reach the community of Council, adding up to 15 miles (24 kilometres) to the 72-mile (116-kilometer) trip he said that part of a highway was washed out in Nome, forcing residents.

Luce said, by using the local term for the onset of winter, which is in October in many parts of Alaska “Another major concern is that freeze-up is near, and all of this damage to the roads will need to be repaired before the month ends”. “Especially for the remote villages without as many resources as Nome has and it’s hard to say if that will be possible.”

Alaska officials  said that Dunleavy, who issued a state disaster declaration Saturday and is considering seeking a federal disaster declaration, intends to get communities up and running again as soon as possible.

He said that “We just have to impress upon our federal friends that it’s not a Florida situation where we’ve got months to work on this”. “We’ve got several weeks.”

On the biggest wildfire in the state so far this year the rain in Northern California helped firefighters increase containment. Early Sunday the Mosquito Fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Sacramento was 34% contained after downpours. More rain was expected, which fire spokesman Scott McLean called a mixed blessing.

“It did help a bit to stifle that aggressive fire,” McLean said. “But we’re going to have new safety issues now with all the mud that’s out there. And the ground moisture could cause some of those damaged trees to fall over.”

Across Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties north of San Francisco, the National Weather Service said an average of a quarter-inch (2 centimetres) of rain fell overnight with more than double that amount recorded in some mountain areas. 

At higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada and winds gusting up to 40 mph were forecast Sunday along Northern California coastal areas. Gusts that strong can blow down branches and drought-stressed trees and cause power outages, warned weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun. Until at least Monday he said thunderstorms were expected on and off.

Source:- https://newsmktcap.com/after-storm-batters-flood-waters-receding-western-alaska/

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Created on Sep 20th 2022 03:13. Viewed 59 times.

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