A series of five storms tore through Alaska's west coast for nearly a week before letting up. Now, five Western Alaska communities -- Kotlik, Stebbins, Scammon Bay, Tununak and Shishmaref -- have declared local disasters, according to Mark Roberts, incident commander for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Other communities are also in the process of declaring disasters, Roberts said.
The local disaster declarations are in state hands now. On Thursday, five days after storms began ripping through Western Alaska, Gov. Sean Parnell voiced his concerns on Facebook.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow Alaskans along the western coast of #Alaska, as they prepare for more storms. Our Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have been in touch with each community impacted by the storms. They are actively assessing the needs and damages, and teams have been in these areas . . . If you would like to help the people of these communities, please contact the Red Cross at 888-345-4376 or Faith Christian Community at 907-243-1777.
The state has not declared disasters in any of the five communities yet, but Parnell was expected to arrive in Western Alaska on Saturday to inspect the damage.
A state Homeland Security official was on the ground in the damaged villages Friday, making rounds in the debris-filled communities. The official carried a water purification system capable of purifying 1,800 gallons of water, Homeland Security spokesperson Jeremy Zidek said. Although the water treatment plant in Kotlik was intact, many residents were disconnected from it and hauling water on their own.
Along with the damaged water systems, sewage systems were also damaged in Kotlik, according to Homeland Security's preliminary assessment. Boardwalks have floated away, Zidek said, and so far 13 structures in the village have been severely damaged. Some were knocked off of their foundations.
Western Alaska isn't the only region of the 49th state that felt the impact of storms. Fairbanks -- roughly 400 miles away in the Alaskan interior -- received unusually high winds and freezing rain for nearly 48 hours, leaving thousands of residents without power and schools shut down for three consecutive days.
"In the Lower 48, this would have been classified as a level-three hurricane," Roberts said. Several state officials said the damage would have been much worse if the communities had not used the calm before the storm to brace themselves.
Contact Megan Edge at megan(at)alaskadispatch.com