"Napakiak"

Last week’s fierce storms aren’t unprecedented, but longtime residents say they aren’t all that normal either.

As of Thursday morning, the entire lower Kuskokwim River is on flood advisory. Kwethluk, Bethel, Napaskiak and Oscarville are all seeing flood impacts.

Erosion has been marching the Kuskokwim River’s banks 25 to 30 feet per year toward the community’s well-water source and school building.

The U.S Department of the Interior is putting $75 million toward community relocation efforts for three U.S. tribes struggling with the consequences of a changing climate. Among the recipients is Newtok, where the Ninglick River has edged closer and closer to the community’s school as the frozen ground under the community melts away. Most of…

The Biden administration gave $75 million in aid to the three communities in Alaska and Washington. Eight other Tribal communities received an additional $40 million.

Although no school interiors flooded, there was significant erosion in some communities that brought the buildings much closer to the shoreline.

While she was here, Adrianne Todman announced more than $220 million in funding for affordable housing and development to benefit Alaska Native and American Indian communities.

The fire began burning on April 16 near the communities of Kwethluk, Bethel and Napakiak.

Some Kuskokwim mushers competing in this weekend’s K300 race say that they’ve been contending with some of the most challenging training conditions of their careers.

The village is losing ground three times faster than it was 10 years ago, according to studies of Napakiak’s erosion.