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Thirty-mile long ice jam causes devastating floods in Alaskan town as hundreds of residents are forced to flee
- Ice jam is when water builds up behind ice and then over flows
- Most of the chunks of ice have already broken off, giving hope to the hundreds of displaced residents
- Alaska National Guard called in to help with evacuations
- 'I've never seen anything like this before,' one official said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing'
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A huge 30-mile block of ice his causing chaos in an Alaskan town as water has been flowing onto the land.
The colossal river ice jam, which is when water builds up behind a block of ice, was starting to rotate Wednesday as water finally chewed ice chunks away from the stubborn, frozen mass after most of the residents were forced to flee from the rising water.
An aerial survey Wednesday afternoon revealed chunks of ice have broken off at the front of the 30-mile ice jam on the Yukon River, National Weather Service hydrologist Ed Plumb said.
That means the jam will move soon and waters will begin to recede in the waterlogged town of Galena, 20 miles upriver.
'I've never seen anything like this before,' one official said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing.'
The ice jam had begun churning Wednesday as water finally chewed ice chunks away from the river
The flooding lifted homes off foundations and has threatened to break a dike protecting the airport, virtually the only dry spot left in the community of 500 where floodwaters washed out roads and submerged homes. There are no reports of injuries.
The National Guard flew 32 more people and 19 dogs to Fairbanks Tuesday night. Other residents were evacuated earlier.
Kevin Ray, a state worker who moved to Galena four months ago, was among the human evacuees who flew in on a Guard C-130 transport plane to Fairbanks, 270 miles east of Galena. Ray said the flight was noisy, with the constant barking of frightened dogs.
In Galena, Ray's office is gone. His apartment and all his possessions are under water.
'So basically, I'm kind of a homeless guy,' Ray, 65, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday from an American Red Cross shelter set up at a local church. 'I never thought I'd be a victim. But hey, life is life.'
The community of 500 had to evacuate after the floods but there have been no reports of injuries
The flooding lifted homes off foundations and has threatened to break a dike protecting the airport, virtually the only dry spot left
Now that the water is trying to push through the jam, conditions could change quickly. When the jam breaks, the downriver community of Koyukuk will be at risk of flooding.
In an earlier flight Wednesday, Plumb said, the ice was locked firmly in place, despite 80 degree temperatures. The hot weather is expected to last a couple days before cooling slightly.
In Galena, water went over low areas of the dike Tuesday, then the water level fell. With the threat of water topping the dike again, the state took the step of bringing in military aircraft to aid in the evacuations of those who wanted to leave. State emergency spokesman Jeremy Zidek said 76 residents chose to stay in a former Air Force barracks.
The water was rising again Wednesday morning close to the edge of the dike, which protects the runway and some buildings including former barracks, then levels fluctuated without rising more, Plumb said. Outside the dike, everything has been hit by flooding, according to Plumb, who has worked for the weather service for 13 years.
'I've never seen anything like this before,' he said. 'And I don't think these people here (have) either. The ice jam is amazing.'
The water was rising again Wednesday morning close to the edge of the dike, which protects the runway and some buildings including former barracks, then levels fluctuated without rising more
The damage has left the town without power, fresh water and cell phone reception. When the ice jam knocked out the bridge leading to the airport, evacuees had to be taken there by boat or helicopter, according to Ray, who said the flooding began with a trickle Sunday. In a place where spring flooding is nothing new, many homes are built on stilts, but the fast rising water reached them, too.
COLOSSAL ICE JAM FORMATION
An ice jam occurs when water builds up behind a blockage of ice.
That includes a glacier blocking an unfrozen river, as is happening in Alaska, and a thawing river being blocked by a still-frozen section further on.
After the ice dam breaks apart, the sudden surge of water floods areas downstream.
The disaster has left people feeling traumatized and vulnerable, Ray said.
'We didn't have any idea how vast the flood was going to be,' he said.
Zidek said the damage is being assessed and a disaster policy cabinet will forward recommendations to Gov. Sean Parnell, who visited the area Tuesday.
Recommendations are likely to include issuing a disaster declaration.
Parnell surveyed the damage on Tuesday and had the Alaska National Guard help evacuate the estimated 75 residents still in town.
'We expect the flooding to become worse before the waters start to recede,' Parnell said.
'Ensuring the safety of those impacted by the flooding remains my top priority.'
Devastation: Homes in Galena, Alaska were destroyed after a 30-mile ice jam on the Yukon River sent water flowing onto the land
The damage has left the town without power, fresh water and cell phone reception. When the ice jam knocked out the bridge leading to the airport, evacuees had to be taken there by boat or helicopter