An ice jam downriver caused floodwaters to rise and back up overbank in Galena. The Recovery Planning Committee and the IRC continued to convene monthly for six months. Additional meetings, as well as community visits, were held to answer questions about the elevation project and funding and encourage homeowners to participate in the elevation project. The community includes 191 households, with an average household size of 2 people. The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is to the southwest. Other homeowners were able to combine FEMA Individuals and Household Program (IHP) funding and volunteer labor to rebuild and elevate to the higher standard set by the City Council. The Yukon river is flooding in Galena as an ice jam at a notorious bend called Bishop’s Rock is keeping water high near Galena. Galena following a flood. Supplies come by the river or by airplane. Alaska Senator Mark Begich and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell got a firsthand view of Galena’s flood damage. Each home cost approximately $100,000 to elevate. Soil conditions and permafrost make the Old Town area of Galena prone to erosion and liquefaction, both during flood events and as flood waters recede. Each spring, communities in Alaska look forward to break-up: the time when the ice and snow accumulated over the last several months begins to melt. Most areas received between seven and nine feet of water. To accommodate the community’s priorities, Galena leadership requested that the federal Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC) partners delay local engagement until after moose hunting season. Major Flood Stage: 128: Moderate Flood Stage: 126: Flood Stage: 124: Action Stage: 119: Low Stage (in feet):-9999 Viewed from above, the flood transformed the landscape. To get in contact with our team, please email FEMA-RECOVERY-ICD-GDO@fema.dhs.gov. There are no roads leading to the town. 2 July, 2019. Yukon River Rescue – Facebook Group. The restoration and improvement of the ball field was essential to restore morale and bring the community together to successfully recover from the flood’s impacts. The Guidance Development Office (GDO) develops and distributes FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC) case studies. Funds go to the American Red Cross. Flood insurance study : city of Galena, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Division.. [United States. The Guidance Development Office (GDO) develops and distributes FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC) case studies. Many community members play baseball from a young age through adulthood, often participating in recreational leagues and pick-up games every summer. The population has declined 32% since 2000. In that time, the village of Galena was flooded, homes were forced off their foundations and most of the residents were evacuated. 1983, Flood insurance study [microform] : city of Galena, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Division Federal Emergency Management Agency [Washington, D.C.?] PA funds were used to repair the existing ball field, primarily by re-grading the ballfield surface so it could be used safely for future baseball and softball events. The average temperature in January is -8° and 60° in July. Though the Rasmuson Foundation typically would not fund this type of project, the significant damage caused by the flood, combined with the importance of the ball field to the Galena community, convinced the foundation that this project should be a high priority. By Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks The state is reporting progress in Galena, as the community cleans up from major flooding. “It’s scary,” said flood evacuee Shane Edwin to the Alaska News Miner after escaping the waters with little more than the clothes on his back. The base was officially closed in 2010, and the land and facilities were transferred to the City of Galena, the Galena School District, and the Alaska Department of Transportation. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.. Learning Objective: Share the steps taken and lessons learned by a rural community in central Alaska to integrate resilience into rebuilding efforts and be better prepared for future flood events. Welcome to the official website for Galena, Alaska! National Guard called to evacuate flooded Alaska town. Ed Plumb is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. The event forced nearly all of the 472 residents to evacuate by air to Fairbanks and Anchorage as waters quickly rose and local roads became impassable. That’s 270 miles west of Fairbanks and 350 miles north of Anchorage. Tiny Galena, Alaska, is struggling after 90 percent of its buildings were destroyed by Yukon River flooding that overwhelmed the 400-resident, mostly Native village. Once construction began, several residents identified concerns about construction methods and materials used to mitigate future hazards, as well as the resulting increased cost to rebuild. That volunteer, Scott Smith, mobilized more volunteers from Anchorage, and started “Pallets with a Purpose” so that people in southcentral Alaska could donate supplies specifically needed by our volunteer crews in Galena. Recreation is also an important long-term strategy that can help survivors overcome disaster-related stress. Other rural communities facing significant recovery challenges may look to the Galena ball field project as an example of a non-traditional recovery initiative that greatly contributed to the long-term resiliency of the disaster-affected community. Broken pipes flood floor at Ptarmigan Hall over break. Galena is on the north bank of the Yukon River. California. Galena had been having cold weather, roughly 45 degrees below zero, when the pipes broke, said Jim Merriner, Galena schools superintendent. The Galena Air Base was constructed in World War II as a stopover point for U.S. Air Force planes flying between the United States and Russia. Alaska has not seen a major ice jam flood since 2013, when an ice jam formed at Bishop Rock on the Yukon River on May 26 and backed up more than 40 miles of ice before it broke six days later. The Denali Commission, an independent federal agency created by Congress to improve living conditions throughout Alaska, was instrumental in connecting Galena leadership with the funding opportunity at the Rasmuson Foundation. A school was es… The community recently held a fundraiser at the baseball field to assist a local family with unexpected medical expenses. These five priorities formed the structure of the recovery effort. LockA locked padlock The total for those repairs is $3,656,200. He’s in Galena and says the water started coming up rapidly this afternoon. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Galena, AK. ANTHC environmental health and engineering staff were a large part of the recovery effort and hope to share their lessons learned with other villages and Tribes before disaster strikes. The original town site, known as Old Town, remained partially occupied and at extreme risk from high velocity water and ballistic ice due to its location between the levee and the river. The land on which the ball field sits was owned by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (Alaska DOT), and for safety reasons required review before restoring the ball field because of its proximity to the Galena airstrip. The TelAlaska central office wasRead more Business. The TelAlaska central office wasRead more Alaska Mental Stress on Rise as Coastal Towns Confront Surging Climate Threats. Galena Flood Relief. As KUAC’s Dan Bross the village, which is still recovering from a major flood 2 years ago, will likely approach moving with multiple steps over time. Abstract. Tribal, city, state, and federal representatives worked closely with the construction team to address all resident concerns in a timely manner and rectify issues where possible. The tribes in that area are just now sitting down with the Air Force again after over 40 years. The lower image shows the condition of the river one year earlier. The flood has been characterized as one of the worst in Galena’s history. This flood was on the scale of a flood never seen before by Galena residents. Alaska DHSEM funded an additional nine elevations. Galena households are made up of 233 men and 229 women. The result has been increased preparedness for future flood disasters of this scale, and an assurance that future construction projects in Galena will meet minimum safety standards. Galena’s ownership of this land allows for greater flexibility in its future development. In Galena, residents only required a doctor’s note to obtain an Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant ramp for their elevated homes, but no residents requested the installation of a ramp. The Galena baseball field was heavily damaged in the flood. National Guard called to evacuate flooded Alaska town. Of the 54 residential structures deemed “severely damaged,” 42 were elevated using a combination of HMGP, homeowner insurance, and FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) program funds. Flood Insurance in Galena on YP.com. ;] A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Located roughly 270 miles due west of Fairbanks in interior Alaska, Galena is a regional education and transportation hub on the banks of the Yukon River. By ERICA ISAAC and HALEY OKTOYAK, staff writers There was a minor flood at Ptarmigan Hall over winter break. Alaska DOT officials agreed to the ball field restoration project and issued an exemption to the City of Galena for the construction effort. Location in Alaska. House-sized chunks of ice mowed down the native birch trees and ripped homes off of pilings. In this case study, we examine disaster recovery in Galena, a small village in Interior Alaska. The City of Galena has been making permanent repairs to damaged water and sewer lines after the spring flood that occurred between May 17 and June 25, 2013. The event forced nearly all of the 472 residents to evacuate by air to Fairbanks and Anchorage as waters quickly rose and local roads became impassable. National Guard called to evacuate flooded Alaska town. By now, many Vandalia area residents have seen the devastation caused by a 30-mile ice jam on the Yukon River in Galena, Alaska on the national morning television shows last week. Entertainment & Arts. Collectively, Galena residents identified over 200 projects for consideration. Destroyed homes and critical infrastructure – including septic and sewer systems – were the highest priority to complete before the Yukon froze. Since its founding in 1834, The Gazette has been THE information resource for Jo Daviess County residents. Since its restoration, the ball field has hosted several baseball and softball tournaments for the school, the community, and the local baseball league. Homes and other buildings are shown flooded in Galena, Alaska, May 27, 2013, in this picture released by the National Weather Service. Homes in the town of Galena, Alaska, flood as a result of winter ice breakup on the Yukon River. In January 2014, Galena hosted two evening community potlatch meetings, to ensure residents had a say in defining recovery goals and projects. California. Resiliency and post-disaster recovery depend heavily on a sense of community and feelings of health and safety. A robust levee was then constructed to protect the airstrip from future flood events. ... Floods in Galena, Alaska. An official website of the United States government. As KUAC’s Dan Bross the village, which is still recovering from a major flood 2 years ago, will likely approach moving with multiple steps over time. Wikipedia Citation Please see Wikipedia's template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. Plans for the implementation of this “top priorities” were developed in partnership with the LDRC and the project champions on the Recovery Planning Committee. Significant Alaska Floods + 1967 Tanana Valley Flood + Yukon River Ice Jam Flood, May 2013. Snow and freezing temperatures typically begin in late September, so many residents would be unable to return until their homes were safe and habitable. Hundreds of contractors and volunteers arrived by air requiring temporary lodging and feeding. April and early May 2013 were the coldest in decades in Interior Alaska. Galena was established in 1918 near an Athabascan fish camp called Henry's Point. ... Floods in Galena, Alaska. By far the worst flooding occurred at the middle Yukon community of Galena. In the summer many families floated on rafts to the Yukon River to fish for salmon. Galena. 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