Alaska Village Wiped Out by Climate Change: Residents Begin Anew in Different Town

MERTARVIK, Alaska (AP) — Ashley Tom, who grew up along the Ninglick River in western Alaska, often observed a worrying trend from her home in Newtok after strong storms blew in from the Bering Sea: the riverbank was inching closer to her home.

In this house, where her great-grandmother passed down the art of sewing and crocheting on their living room sofa, Ashley learned valuable skills. These skills came in handy at school where she and her classmates would make traditional garments and accessories using fur from seals or otters. It was also here that her grandmother taught her the detailed craft of weaving baskets from grass and the Yupik language.

However, today the village is nearly destroyed due to erosion and the thawing of permafrost, with approximately 70 feet (21.34 meters) of land lost annually. What remains are some weathered, gray houses that are largely deserted and showing signs of wear from the salty sea air carried by storm winds.

“My most vivid memories of Newtok stem from the time spent with my great-grandmother in one of the first homes that had to be torn down,” Ashley said.

Within the coming weeks, the final 71 residents will transport their belongings by boat to Mertarvik, uniting with the 230 residents who started relocating in 2019. This makes them among the first Alaskan Native villages to undergo a large-scale migration due to climate change.

__

EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is part of a series exploring how tribes and Indigenous communities address and adapt to climate change.

___

Leaders from the village of Newtok initiated the search for a new site over two decades ago, eventually exchanging lands with the federal government. They settled on a location 9 miles (14.48 kilometers) away on Nelson Island’s stable volcanic ground in the Bering Strait.

The transition, however, has been gradual, resulting in a divided community. Even as most inhabitants moved to Mertarvik, essentials like the grocery store and school remained in Newtok, causing a separation between some students and teachers from their families during the school year.

Calvin Tom, the tribal administrator and Ashley’s uncle, stated that Newtok is no longer habitable. Erosion has severely affected the infrastructure, tilting power poles at dangerous angles, and a single severe storm this autumn could permanently cut off electricity.

Currently, there is a push to install 18 temporary houses that were delivered to Mertarvik on a barge before the winter arrives.

Across Alaska, unusual warmth has been recorded. Some communities on the normally icy North Slope, a significant oil-producing area, have experienced uncharacteristically warm temperatures, prompting some of Ashley Tom’s friends to wear bikinis to the beaches of the Arctic Ocean.

Similar issues are seen throughout the Arctic, where thawing permafrost is damaging infrastructure like roads, railways, and buildings, affecting roughly 4 million people. In the Russian Arctic, Indigenous communities face relocation to urban areas instead of moving their endangered villages, while in Scandinavia, reindeer herders struggle with the changing landscape and emerging water bodies.

About 85% of Alaska is covered by permafrost, which is meant to remain permanently frozen. When it thaws, coupled with warmer coastal waters, it leads to further erosion. The warming also reduces ice formation along the shorelines, which typically acts as a natural barrier against the harsh ocean storms.

The Yupik language has a term for the devastating impacts of erosion, flooding, and thawing permafrost: “usteq,” which translates to “surface caves in.” According to Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, these changes are typically gradual until a sudden collapse occurs, such as a riverbank giving way or a large hole forming.

According to a January report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, there are several villages at risk due to erosion, flooding, or permafrost melt. Six of these — Kivalina, Koyukuk, Newtok, Shaktoolik, and Unalakleet — have been identified as facing imminent threats in a Government Accountability Office report over two decades ago.

Communities are faced with three choices depending on the severity of their situation: securing measures to stay, retreating to safer areas, or completely relocating.

Relocation is challenging, beginning with securing a new site. Since the federal government owns about 60% of Alaskan land, communities often need to arrange land swaps, a process requiring Congressional approval and can be lengthy. For instance, Newtok began the process for the land on Nelson Island in 1996 and only completed it by late 2003.

“That took far too long,” said Jackie Qatalina Schaeffer, director of climate initiatives at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. “Looking back over the past decade at the progression of climate change in Alaska, we are running out of time. We urgently need to find more efficient ways to help communities secure relocation sites.”

Last year, Kivalina developed a master plan for relocation and is currently negotiating with an Alaska Native regional corporation for land, a process expected to take between three to five years, according to Schaeffer.

Another significant obstacle is the cost. Newtok has spent decades and about $160 million in today’s dollars on its relocation. Estimates for relocating Kivalina range from $100 million to $400 million, with no current federal funding dedicated to relocation. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides disaster funding and programs, it is only available after a disaster has been officially declared.

In 2018, a resource for Alaska communities identified 60 federal funding sources for relocation, but only a few have been effectively utilized to combat environmental threats. However, recent funding boosts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act could benefit these threatened communities, according to the report.

The health consortium report estimates that about $4.3 billion will be needed over the next 50 years to mitigate infrastructure damage. It calls on Congress to address an $80 million annual funding shortfall by providing a dedicated funding source to assist communities.

“The economic, social, and cultural practices of Alaska Natives, which have been sustainable for thousands of years, are now severely threatened by accelerated environmental changes,” the report noted. “At risk are not only physical structures but the viability of whole communities and cultures.”

After five years of living divided lives, the residents of Newtok and Mertarvik will finally be united. The school in Newtok has closed, and classes began in August for the first time in a temporary facility in Mertarvik. A new school building is anticipated to be ready by 2026. The grocery store from Newtok has also relocated to Mertarvik, with plans for a second store and a church underway, according to Calvin Tom.

The new location offers significant advantages, including improved health conditions, Tom mentioned. Currently, most residents are using a manual waste disposal system known as the “honey bucket,” but this method is expected to be replaced by modern water and sewer systems in the coming years. The new homes in Mertarvik are also free from the black mold that had affected some houses in Newtok due to moisture from the sea.

Tom also mentioned the possibility of eventually renaming the relocated town to Newtok, ensuring the continuation of cultural and traditional practices from the old location. A local Indigenous drum and dance group is already practicing at the temporary school, and the abundant local wildlife provides ample opportunities for subsistence hunting.

A pod of belugas, which visits every autumn, is expected soon, and the hunt will help locals stock up for the challenging winter ahead.

Ashley Tom is looking forward to the arrival of the last residents from Newtok in Mertarvik. Although their new environment differs from their previous home, she believes they will grow to love it as much as she does.

“I really love this new area, and I just feel complete here,” she expressed.

___

Thiessen reported from Anchorage.

___

This story was first published on Sep. 26, 2024. It was updated on Sep. 28, 2024 to correct the number of villages affected by infrastructure damage from erosion, 144 not 114. It also corrects the name of the organization that authored the Unmet Needs report, and where Jackie Qatalina Schaeffer works as the director of climate initiatives. It is the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, not the Alaska Native Travel Health Consortium.

___