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Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) issued a disaster declaration Monday for two Interior Alaska communities, after they were inundated with severe ice jam flooding.
The declaration covers the areas near Chalkyitsik on the Black River and Hughes on the Koyukuk River, as The Alaska Desk’s Shelby Herbert from KUAC reports.
Jeremy Zidek is a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
He says almost a dozen homes became flooded in Chalkyitsik, but the situation is especially dire in Hughes.
The state is working to deliver emergency supplies to the community, but the water is still high.
“They had water and ice on their runway. The water has gone down a little bit, but the runway is not serviceable by fixed-wing aircraft at this time. We’re looking at an alternate runway that is nearby.”
He says when the flooding peaked on May 9, most of the community’s nearly-80 residents had to shelter at the Hughes Tribal Hall.
Zidek says spring breakup is in full swing, and the danger hasn’t passed for many other riverside communities in the Interior.
“We’re still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding. And so, if there is a necessity to add new areas, the governor will consider the information we provide to him, and then make that determination.”
In addition to activating the state’s emergency response capabilities, the Governor’s disaster declaration also opens up several assistance programs for the affected areas.
The state’s public assistance program focuses on restoring essential infrastructure, and can be accessed by local governments, tribes, and nonprofits. And its individual assistance and temporary housing programs can help individuals and families recover from flood-related property damage.
Zidek says the state will release more information about those programs in the coming days.
A House committee met Wednesday to review President Donald Trump’s funding proposal for the Interior Department.
As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a southern Arizona congresswoman took that opportunity to talk about the recent destruction of a sacred border wall site.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared that federal officials apologized to the Tohono O’odham Nation weeks after a border wall contractor bulldozed Las Playas Intaglio, a thousand-year-old archeological site along the US-Mexico boundary.
“This is a super unfortunate thing that happened. There’s a series of mistakes that happened along the way – zero intention – and we’ve delivered direct apologies.”
But U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) stressed words aren’t enough.
“I mean, unfortunately, once it’s destroyed, you can’t undo that.”
Now, Grijalva fears another O’odham cultural site of concern, a desert oasis called Quitobaquito Springs, could be damaged next. It sits just south of Ajo inside Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
“So will you commit that [the] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service avoid Quitobaquito Springs and minimize impact by not using groundwater within five miles, and monitor those water levels closely as the border wall is being built?”
Burgum replied, “Well, I – that’s a very specific thing that I won’t jump ahead and commit to.”
Missing person Benjamin Stepetin, 42, stands in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Courtesy Stepetin family)
Divers are searching the murky waters of Gastineau Channel this week for the body of a Juneau, Alaska man missing for nearly a year, as KTOO’s Clarise Larson reports.
Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin, a 42-year-old Juneau resident, disappeared last June. His family believes he may have fallen or been pushed into the water near the downtown seawalk.
His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., says the family hasn’t given up hope.
“We just want to find our brother, you know. And we really miss our brother, and if we could get some closure to finding him, then that would be amazing.”
The search, funded by the Juneau Police Department (JPD), includes divers and underwater sonar vehicles.
Police are investigating the case as criminal and say some people may be withholding information.
The search includes both divers and underwater vehicles with sonar technology. The team is scanning up and down the downtown seawalk, while thousands of cruise ship visitors walk above them.
Martin says that his family believes their brother may have fallen or been pushed into the water along the seawalk.
JPD is currently investigating the case as a criminal investigation.
Deputy Chief Krag Campbell says police believe there may have been people involved in Benjamin’s disappearance who are withholding information.
“Our ultimate goal is to get a successful resolution to this investigation, and if at all possible, recover or find the body and missing person for the family. So doing those things whenever we can, I think, is very important.”
People can share information by calling JPD’s dispatch line at 907-586-0600 or submitting an anonymous tip through Juneau Crime Line.
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