FAIRBANKS -- Small children, their mothers and elders began evacuating the village of Beaver on Friday as the Yukon River rose, tribal leaders said.
Downriver in Stevens Village, evacuations are planned for today, according to the school principal.
Alaska's mightiest river remains frozen along these communities north of Fairbanks, but villagers are preparing for the worst after the Yukon River, with its gigantic chunks of ice, wiped out portions of Eagle near Canada.
Beaver has about 65 residents, while about 70 people live in Stevens Village.
"The water is coming up. We are getting ready for it," said Wilma Pitka, natural resources manager for the tribal council in Beaver.
"Most everybody is moving all of their snowmachines and stuff to higher ground. They are getting all of the sewer pumped and the garbage hauled."
The last time Beaver flooded was 1992.
In Stevens Village, "We are taking precautions," said Dora Powell, principal/teacher at the village school.
People are moving vehicles and other valuables to high land, she said.
The school is planning to hold its graduation today despite the threat of flooding. A senior, an eighth grader and two kindergartners are scheduled for commencement.
Powell said the graduation may be followed by an evacuation.
Meanwhile, Yukon is getting back to normal after some flooding late Thursday, said officer Peter Hawbaker of the Fort Yukon Police Department.
Water reached 4 feet above flood stage before receding, said National Weather Service hydrologist Ed Plumb.
At the height of the flood, water covered six streets, washing one out, and flooded several houses. The house that took the brunt of the flooding had about two feet of water, the police officer said.
"I think the worst of the flooding is over," Hawbaker said. "When the ice jam cleared, it went down rather rapidly."
A levee leaked in Fort Yukon but water was under control Friday with sandbags, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Safety and Emergency Management.
The airport in Fort Yukon was usable but the taxiway was under water. Portions of the fuel farm were under water but tanks were intact, Zidek said.
About 108 people were displaced by flooding Thursday night. Some stayed at a gym, an Air Force station, a makeshift tent city or with friends and family, Zidek said.
Though water levels have dropped, Plumb said, the potential remains for additional flooding if more ice jams on the Yukon.
Residents are also keeping a close eye on the Porcupine River, which has yet to break up, Hawbaker added.
There also were concerns in western Alaska, where there are several flood warnings along the Kuskokwim River, Zidek said.
There was moderate flooding in the communities of Akiak and Kwethluk and water levels were dropping in Kalstag.
Officials in Bethel requested 5,000 sandbags. Zidek said the state was working to fill that request.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By AMANDA BOHMAN
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner