Disasters, etc.
Beaver evacuates women, children, elders as flood nears
(Amanda Bohman/Anchorage Daily News, 9 May 2009) -- 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.
Posted 9 May 2009; 5:43:09 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, Circumpolar News, Communities, Environment and Landscape, Natural disasters and other problems, North America, Social Issues, United States
email to: agra...@yukoncollege.yk.ca
Add to del.icio.us
