Ice storm in Southwest Alaska could impact schools, Halong recovery efforts

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – An ice storm warning in effect for the Yukon Kuskokwim delta could impact travel, schools and power, as well as recovery efforts after Typhoon Halong.

An ice storm of this size is not unusual for the region, but with three quarters of an inch of ice expected, certain preparation and safety measures may be necessary. The storm could also change school schedules, according to Director of Operations for the Lower Kuskokwim School District.

“One of the most recent ice storms we had, an ice event that happened last December, took out a transformer by our district office, and we had a heck of a time, keeping schools warm, because it was also very, very cold,” Sweet said.

Sweet said in that 2024 storm, maintenance mechanics in Bethel worked 4 hours on and 4 hours off to ensure that glycol was circulating through the heating system in order to keep schools warm.

“So, when it’s cold and when it’s icy, of course, things break, generators can go down, anything that was fragile before sometimes decides it isn’t going to work,” Sweet said. “Of course, there’s a lot of damage that can happen to people. Slipping and falling is a huge risk. Most people wear ice cleats when it’s this icy. Most elders stay home.”

While ice presents the obvious falling risk, Sweet mentioned several other reminders to keep in mind, like not pouring water on vehicles to clear ice, let someone know if you’re going out of the house, and clear stairs and walkways to prevent falling hazards.

The Lower Kuskokwim School District covers a large area, roughly the size of the state of West Virginia. So, weather conditions can be dramatically different in Bethel and outer lying villages, so decisions on school closures or delays are made on a local basis.

“They might say school’s canceled, or school’s delayed an hour, school’s canceled,” Sweet said. “Whatever the message is, they put it on Facebook, they put it out VHF, they might have a phone tree that they call. It’s very grassroots, right?”

“One thing that’s really important to note, though, is that it’s a local decision.”

The storm also has the potential to slow rebuilding efforts in the wake of Typhoon Halong.

The ice itself can make outdoor tasks challenging, or even dangerous, but Sweet said one of the broadest impacts will be travel delays. Residents are familiar with weather delays, but during the recovery process, every delayed flight impacts the recovery effort.

“In Kwig, we need to have a power supply on a plane to help with our water plant there, and there’s no way we can get that on the plane,” Sweet said. “So, folks in Kwig who are at the school trying to rebuild the community are facing a water situation there at the school that we have no way of fixing right this second. So, the real impact to this storm is that the efforts to rebuild are put on hold for a minute while people are just trying to survive, and it’s really challenging.”

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