Rural Update – News from the Flood Zone
10 05 2009The unprecedented flooding on the Yukon River has wiped out riverside homes and buildings, devastating the village of Eagle with enormous chunks of ice and raging floodwaters. Residents were able to escape but had to leave their homes and most of their possessions behind. Mudflatter Yukonbushgrandma who is a frequent commenter here on The Mudflats was right in the thick of things in the flood zone. This is her story. I will post updates as they become available.
Right now, she and her husband are staying with friends on higher ground, and they are safe. Our thoughts go out to them and all those who have been so devastated by this event.
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~~The house of yukonbushgrandma~~
My hubby and I lived right down by the Yukon, but we were set back a ways, and we always felt pretty safe during breakup.
This year was SURREAL.
We are still in shock. And every now and then I enter a state of numbness and inability to deal with the reality of what we face.
We were the lead story one night on KTUU. Those brave ladies (reporter & videographer) wanted to see, and record, what our house looked like after the onslaught. I hadn’t seen it yet myself. They walked down the steep bank of moss, roots and stumps, and eventually we got down to the house. It was totally enveloped in massive ice chunks, preventing entry to the house anywhere. The only way to enter was to break a window and enter by ladder, being very careful not to get cut by broken window shards.
We have entered that window many times since then, trying to retrieve anything that might be salvageable. Every time we go there, I cry. We can get things, but they are so messed up, covered with diesel and silt, that we wonder if it’s truly worth rescuing them.
On the night of breakup, I hurt my right leg. After the first surge of the river, we waited. Hubby was sitting by the window, watching the water level. All of a sudden he said, “we gotta go, NOW!” I turned off the lights, put on my rubber boots, and went out the door. In that short time, the water had risen so much that I waded through eight inches of water to get to high ground. Our 4-wheeler was in the way of the water, so the both of us pushed it up the steep bank, through snow and ice. The 4-wheeler ran over me a couple of times, and that escapade really messed up my right leg.
Today hubby went down there and somehow – miraculously – found one of our freezers buried under the massive ice blocks. It was totally filled with stuff we had just purchased a week before, and it would have been a great loss. The door was on the bottom, so he had to saw the freezer apart to save the contents. We were lucky — about a third of it was still salvageable.
I wish I could say that the state people are helping us ….. but I think it would be far better if we could take their wages and redirect them to moving the massive chunks of ice that are preventing us from doing anything here. Someone said that they’re worried about the diesel contamination going into the Yukon, so they don’t want to push the ice into the river. That ice and water are going to go there anyway!!! Can’t they just help us here, give us a way to get to what’s left of our homes and get the little what’s left out of them?
[More to follow]
May 10th, 2009 at 7:03 PM
My heart goes out to you all. But as someone who spent a year rebuilding her house after Katrina, I can tell you, Save everything you can. Yes, I know at this stage that everything is such a mess you think, What’s the point? But you’ll be amazed how things clean up. I threw out some things in those first few days of mucking out the house that I now realize I should have kept. In the end, I even collected bits and pieces of antiques, cleaned them up, glued them back together, and now you’d never know what they’ve been through. So save what you can, and as for what you can’t–it’s only stuff.
May 10th, 2009 at 7:08 PM
I pray that you will be protected and provided for during this time, and that, somehow, thru it all, things will be even better for you than they were before. Keep your courage up and keep going…. You will make it!
May 10th, 2009 at 7:16 PM
There are no specifics that I can find yet on the Wells Fargo “Rebuild Eagle” fund, so I’m going to call the Fairbanks branch tomorrow to get an address and more information for folks who want to help in that way. I will update at anonymousbloggers as soon as we have more info:
http://anonymousbloggers.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/eagle-ak-this-year-was-surreal/
May 10th, 2009 at 7:22 PM
yukonbushgrma
Glad you are, for the most part, OK.
We were getting worried.
Lots of Love.
May 10th, 2009 at 7:24 PM
Please let us know if Wells Fargo has a site so that we can donate via Paypal or an address that we can send checks to.
Take care.
May 10th, 2009 at 7:33 PM
Yukonbushgrandma, I’m so sorry.
May 10th, 2009 at 7:42 PM
Candy Knight, sorry about Katrina also. That must still hurt a bunch.
May 10th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
yukonbushgrma…
You and your family are in our thoughts.
Take care. Anything we can do to help, just let us know.
May 10th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
Thanks for letting us know your status. I hope you can get into the house soon and salvage more of your belongings and memories. I’m sure it will be a wrenching decision about where and when to rebuild. With sincere sympathies for all you have lost,
Lyn
May 10th, 2009 at 8:47 PM
Yukonbushgrandma
What is the state of Alaska doing for you and others in a crisis situation
1. nothing
2. officials have been in touch
3. disaster rescue personnel have provided help
4. send me your email, I will send you either some funny DVDs or some good CDs or perhaps a bit of both
4.
May 10th, 2009 at 9:07 PM
Uh oh. What happened to the page? Different color, smaller font, no sidebar. Is it just me?
May 10th, 2009 at 9:26 PM
Glad you and Mr. Yukonbushgrandma made it out safely. So sorry about your poor house.
Sending healing thoughts your way for your leg AND your psyche.
May 10th, 2009 at 9:42 PM
How fortunate that you made it out in time. Wow, I have never in my life seen the likes of this – ever. I am very glad you are safe and didn’t suffer more serious injuries – a miracles really when you look at those pictures. So sad and sorry for you.
May 10th, 2009 at 9:57 PM
@42 Pat, Washington state Says:
“It’s good that there is already a fund set up, but has there been any effort to declare a natural disaster area so you can qualify for federal funds, since the insurance companies are wriggling out of paying?”
========
Sen. Mark Begich did send a letter to President Obama requesting federal disaster declaration. The state people here in Eagle told us that there’s a very slim chance of a federal declaration since the number of people affected is relatively small. Heh, we were told that maybe they could get a federal declaration if the rest of the towns in AK were flooded too, so then it would be a statewide disaster. But now it looks like Eagle might be the worst and there aren’t enough other towns to help qualify. Sad, eh?
May 10th, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Youkonbushgrandma, this is awful. Somehow the image of your husband sawing into the freezer to save some of your food brought it home as much as the picture of your icelocked house. Glad you and your husband are OK.
May 10th, 2009 at 10:29 PM
yukonbushgrma, I’m glad to know you and hubby are safe! That’s the main thing! Have you had the leg checked out? Hope it’s going to be ok!
Sending lots of warm thoughts and positive vibes your way.
May 10th, 2009 at 11:07 PM
So sorry to hear of your personal loss, as well as the damage done elsewhere around Eagle. Will keep an eye out for the Wells Fargo fund. Our thoughts are with you.
May 10th, 2009 at 11:29 PM
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Yukonbushgandma}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} and village of Eagle!
Please keep us updated as to what is needed – because your GINO surely doesn’t!
May 10th, 2009 at 11:41 PM
I am so sorry for your loss and those of the village. I can’t imagine not have my home.
But again, where is the Governor in all this mess? Was she even seen this weekend? She canceled her out of state meetings because of this crisis, but I did not read anything about what she has done.
Why was this excuse given if she was not a visible presence in the areas of the flooding?
Please let us know what we can do.
Thanks You
May 11th, 2009 at 2:32 AM
I’m so sorry for what you are going through Yukonbushgrma. My heart goes out to you during this difficult time and the days ahead.
May 11th, 2009 at 2:34 AM
Sorry to hear about the flooding up there. Hope everyone is safe. Down here in the lower 48, West VA has had heavy flooding as well, declared a disaster area by the gov, and report this am of 7 miners who were rescued from a flooded mine. Should be noted that WV also has an unemployment rate of 14%. : (
The news from AK this am is of bears in Anchorage. I guess if you haven’t gotten used to living in the wilderness, you just can’t cope with nature. Many want license to kill any that come into town. We had a small bear come onto a hwy in our well populated area not far from a major city here in NC where even deer are often seen in the city. Bears sometimes wander down from the mountains and foothills not far from here. Wild animals often come into this area of late due to a years-long drought we had. This spring, though, we’re getting relief–cool and lots of rain.
Hope you can keep AK as the beautiful force of nature it is. We have so little left in the lower 48 because of “development.” Even in the mountains here in NC, they had to pass a “ridge law” to prevent overdevelopment of condos, basically summer homes for the tourist crowd; a victory for environmentalists. : )
May 11th, 2009 at 2:43 AM
YBG – good to have you with us again! I showed the picture of your home to my boss, who didn’t seem all that impressed – only said “they don’t have very many windows”. He thought it was snow, not ice in the picture! Didn’t realize it was the 2nd (3rd?) story of the house he was seeing. You should have seen his eyes pop out! Take Care – and keep in touch.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:03 AM
yukonbushgrma – So happy to see you on the tubes again. Please have the leg looked at and let us know what we can do.Your resilient , can do attitude shines through on your posts.
tigerwine – thanks for the extra effort from you and your son to get the word and pictures out on this mess.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:20 AM
yukonbushgrma,
I was so stunned by the pictures I forgot to even post virtual hugs and support for you. I’m so glad you are okay.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:17 AM
All the best and courage! of which you have plenty.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:28 AM
Please keep in touch with us yukonbushgrma, leave updates on the open thread okay? let us know what people are saying, what they are going through, what it is like, what the needs are and definitely let us know what Scarah is doing or not doing for ya all.
Stay strong mudpuppy girlfriend.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:31 AM
this sounds like a PERFECT use for the the ALsaka Fund Trust thingy gov. gimme set up…
May 11th, 2009 at 6:39 AM
Heartfelt wishes and prayers. Stay safe.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:52 AM
yukonbushgrandma—sending warm and loving thoughts your way. just glad you and husband got out with your lives….love bea
May 11th, 2009 at 10:20 AM
yukonbushgrma-
So very glad to hear from you!
I’m so sorry about your home .
I wish knew something to say which would ease your losses… but I don’t.
Speak right up if there are things we can do…
Mail service coming in?
Any small special needs for you or your neighbors? The one-rate box champs of the world are reading here…
Best wishes neighbor.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:46 AM
ykonbushgrma,
I was very sorry to hear of your travails and the photos evoked the violence done to your home and your lie. I hope you will heal and be able to sort out a new situation as soon as possible.
The record-breaking temperatures and flood levels I read about elsewhere cause me to fear that you and your husband have joined the growing number of climate chaos refugees, and sadly, if governments all over the globe don’t start taking the threat seriously and begin to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, I expect you will be joined by many many more displaced persons as the weather becomes increasingly unpredictable and severe.
Best of luck to you.
May 11th, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Earlier than usual iced-over rivers, sudden “heat waves” in spring, ice floe flooding, what next? If “El Nino” and “La Nina” aren’t enough proof of climate change, surely the wild swings in season and temperature in central and even coastal Alaska should give the pundits and policy-makers a hint.
YBG, I’ll confess to being worried about Mudflats not hearing from you these last couple of days. I’m so sorry to read/hear of the disaster the ice has made of your home and belongings.
I hope you get all the support and assistance you and hubby need to repair, replace or build anew. The economy and employment situation isn’t helping; I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that some of the service agencies and construction businesses are functioning on skeleton staffs because of it.
Good luck.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:36 PM
The lure of living (or at least having a cabin)on the bank of a river is a strong one.My family has a cabin on the banks of the Gulkana river(outside bend no less!),the cabin itself dates back to the early ’50’s right before statehood,and was moved there in the ’70’s by a family friend.
I fully expect some day to have it swept away by a breakup,as it is on an old flood plain AND on the outside bend,although it hasnt happened yet in 40+ yrs to my knowledge.
I couldnt see owning river front property under those circumstances any other way…..
I hope you have the ability to bounce back.
good luck
ak4195
May 11th, 2009 at 4:58 PM
YBG, I am so glad that you guys got out in time! I hope your leg is feeling better. If I lived in Alaska I would be there to help you but I think I’m just a little too far. I wish you and all your fellow residents the speediest recovery. Take care of yourselves and keep us posted on the process.