Alaska
Alaska reels from historic storm that triggered flooding and power outages
Western Alaska was reeling Monday from probably the most intense storm ever recorded within the Bering Sea through the month of September introduced hurricane power winds and document excessive storm surge flooding alongside the shoreline.
Menace stage: Officers reported Norton Sound communities had been nonetheless being affected by energy outages, flooding and damages to properties, public buildings and roads, whereas water and sewage had been additionally affected because the hurricane remnants and headed into the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast Sunday night.
- As a result of the storm hit in September, there was no nearshore ice to guard communities within the low-lying western coast from the complete wrath of excessive waves and storm surge flooding.
- Social media photos confirmed whole communities inundated, and in a single case, a home caught below a bridge after it floated downriver in Nome, the endpoint of the Iditarod sled canine race.
What we’re watching: Whereas floodwaters had been receding, an official with Alaska’s Division of Homeland Safety and Emergency Administration (DHSEM) advised the Washington Submit the true extent of harm to property and infrastructure alongside some 1,000 miles of shoreline will not be identified for days.
- “Entry to those [remote] areas may be very troublesome,” Jeremy Zidek added.
In the meantime, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy tweeted that, having declared a state catastrophe on Saturday to activate restoration funds, his administration was getting ready to file for federal catastrophe help on Monday.
- The DHSEM mentioned in a statement that injury evaluation would start on Monday, with Alaska Guard members activated and growing in quantity all through the week.
Our thought bubble: The Alaska storm resulted from a uncommon mixture of occasions which have a local weather change tie. It began with Hurricane Merbok, which fashioned in an uncommon spot for this time of 12 months, because of hotter than common waters in components of the Pacific.
- Because the storm moved into northern latitudes it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, feeding off jet stream vitality, besides it additionally swirled over an space of anomalously heat waters once more.
- This added extra vitality to it. And as an alternative of shifting into the Gulf of Alaska, which is typical for this time of 12 months, it surged north, into the Bering Sea. As soon as there, it turned probably the most intense storm on document within the Bering for September, and one of many strongest ever.
The massive image: The storm surge and robust winds it generated struck a number of the most susceptible villages in all of Alaska to the state’s quickly warming local weather.
- Pounding waves and erosion have already made villages akin to Kivalina in want of long run plans to doubtlessly relocate. Flooding from this storm prompted extra injury, knocking out airports on the state’s west coast by flooding runways.
- The flooding in Nome was the worst since a storm hit in November 1974.
Alaska
Alaska Railroad Depot opens its doors to crowded Open House
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – Hundreds of families, locals and tourists alike, turned out at the Alaska Railroad Depot on Saturday for the popular open house. The guests not only got to see the sights, meet the engineers and conductors, as well as learn more about the railroad, but they also got to climb aboard the trains and take a ride down the rail.
“So for the free train rides today our goal is to get as many people out to enjoy a train ride,” said Meghan Clemens, Alaska Railroad External Affairs Director, “so we’re keeping them pretty short. We’ve got eight 30-minute departures that we’re running today, and each of those trains can hold about 300 people so there’s room for everybody.”
Each trip took about 20 minutes for visitors to climb into the train coaches and ride down the rail and back. Meanwhile inside the depot, a variety of educational and fun displays were set up.
“It’s a great event that we like to do at the end of the season,” Clemens added, “to be able to welcome out folks from Fairbanks to come take a free train ride, have a chance to get on board a locomotive, we’ve got some static equipment out here we’ve got some heavy equipment people can learn about, we’ve got prize giveaways, we’ve got magician, we’ve got all sorts of fun things for the family to do out here at the depot today!”
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Copyright 2024 KTVF. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Filipino-Alaskans gather to celebrate culture and community
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The 14th annual Mat-Su Kabayan Gala invited Filipinos, and those who appreciate the culture, to Wasilla to celebrate and appreciate their heritage on Saturday.
The Filipino community in Alaska is about 30,000 strong, staff at the event said, and is a tight-knit community. Event coordinator Lhing McNeal said she believes it’s crucial to connect Filipino families with each other, especially those who might not know exactly what their culture looks like.
“We are so far away from home, we need that community,” said McNeal.
Dancing and traditional food are the highlights of the event every year. McNeal said the event is also about young Filipinos needing see themselves represented in the community.
“To pass it on with our culture and traditions,” said McNeal. “That way our children will be able to see it and promote it to the next generation.”
Deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Nelson San Juan, said the Mat-Su Kabayan Gala makes him proud to call Alaska home.
“I couldn’t ask for a better community,” said San Juan. “This group is just so communal. The state of Alaska in general is communal.”
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Alaska DOT&PF secures over $1B of transportation funding in FY2024 – Alaska Native News
STIP Amendment #1 partial approval resolves ten of 14 corrective actions.
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) concludes the 2024 federal fiscal year with the successful delivery of over $1B of transportation related projects. This includes over $650 million in federally funded highways projects, over $300M in federally funded aviation projects, and many other projects funded through the State of Alaska capital budget.
“Overall, as in previous years, we obligated every federal dollar available to us on transportation projects” said Dom Pannone, Alaska DOT&PF Program Management and Administration Director. “Our team successfully obligated $662 million in Federal Highways dollars alone, despite the fact that the August Redistribution amount approved by FHWA was lower than recent years.”
In addition, STIP Amendment #1 partial approval was received this week. Five railbelt projects were excluded, including the Richardson Highway MP 346 Bridge project that was determined in March to meet federal regulatory requirements for exemptions from air quality conformity analysis. This was confirmed March 8, 2024, by interagency consultation facilitated by FAST Planning and comprised of experts from DEC, EPA, FTA, and FHWA. The project currently resides outside the MPO boundaries but within the air quality non-attainment area. DOT&PF will be evaluating this finding, among others, with federal partners.
Another 18 rural projects were excluded, which were all discretionary grants applied for by Tribal, village or other rural entities. This exclusion does not mean that the projects will not move forward, but rather FHWA’s preference for where the projects are listed. Whenever the directions from the federal government are not clear, the department will err on the side of caution, including discretionary grants in the STIP to avoid the project not being able to advance. The exclusion provides the clarity the state and local sponsors need to move forward.
Partial approvals have not been used in the past but are becoming more frequent for FHWA to communicate expectations to the State’s STIP team in writing to formally codify the new expectations with Alaska.
“We want to thank our federal partners for working with us over the past six months on successfully delivering Alaska’s transportation program in 2024,” said Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “Alaska’s unique challenges and opportunities require careful consideration of the State’s role in sovereignty in advancing infrastructure decisions, in coordination with federal, state, and local partners, in the last frontier.”
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 35 communities, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”
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