By Jennifer Lynch, Headquarters
Three technical disaster response team members recently completed a site assessment in Eagle Village, Alaska, for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Alaska District employees developed a site design for a temporary public safety office and a temporary health clinic.
The work is planned to be completed by Sept. 15, before the highway to the remote village is closed for the winter.
The area was struck by flooding and ice jams from the spring ice breakup, which began on April 28. Alaska requested and received a federal disaster declaration on June 11. Cathy Shuman, a subject matter expert on temporary public facilities from Los Angeles District, is supporting the Alaska District team.
FEMA issued a mission assignment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide site preparation, including water, septic tank, and electrical connections for the temporary structures. FEMA is leasing a prefabricated building for the Village Public Safety Office, and a soft-sided clinic facility. Both will be installed by the suppliers.
The original facilities were near the Yukon River in the old Eagle Village town site. The structures were shoved at least 500 feet and crushed by ice chunks during spring breakup. The two temporary facilities will fill critical needs this winter while the communities of Eagle and Eagle Village recover from the destruction of many of their buildings. Permanent facilities will replace the temporary structures next year.
In addition to the mission assignment for temporary public facilities, USACE provided technical assistance for debris management. Allen Morse, a debris subject matter expert, deployed to Eagle, Alaska, to help the city clear the debris from the ice breakup.
“No one was killed, but the flood and ice moved in so fast that people were only able to save what they could carry with them in their arms,” Morse said. “Some of the homes are being moved back into place, but the most are being demolished.”
Eagle has one part-time employee who operates the water truck to keep dust down. All other city workers, including the mayor, are volunteers. The city hired a member of the Eagle community to handle debris removal, and Morse provided training to assist in managing the debris contract.
There is an estimated 5,000 cubic yards of material to be ground up, and another 2,500 cubic yards to be removed as loose material. The town will use the USACE debris ticket system to manage the debris-to-be-removed portion of the contract.
“This has been a truly unique mission and it's amazing that the city has tackled this issue head-on with no reservations,” Morse said. “I’ve really enjoyed helping them help themselves.”
PHOTO: Spring break-up ice damage on Yukon River.