Alaska's North Slope Storm Leaves Estimated $10M In Damage

UTQUIAGVIK, AK — A late September storm in Alaska's North Slope could leave the regional government with a bill of more than $10 million. A damaged road in Utqiagvik — the nation's northernmost town – could also prevent whalers from accessing a key subsistence area.

The storm severely damaged Utqiagvik, North Slope Borough officials said, because of wave surges and wind gusts at more than 45 mph. The storm in the community — formerly known as Barrow — lasted several days and eroded roads and protective berms. It also damaged infrastructure and personal property.

About 3,700 feet of a beach road were destroyed, preventing access to a lagoon area that is used as a backup site to land whales if waves are too intense on the coast. Two lagoons below the town's freshwater lake were flooded, now with water levels nearly reaching the level of the freshwater source. Freshwater culverts were plugged to prevent saltwater reaching the fresh water lake, officials said.

In Utqiagvik and the nearby Browerville site, 22 lots also were flooded. (For more information on the storm and other Across Alaska stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Seven historical lots on a bluff were undercut by wave surges that left the area unstable and beginning to collapse.

Other coastal communities in the region are still being assessed for damages, officials said.

The borough is footing the bill for the repairs, spokesman David Fauske said in an email to The Associated Press on Monday. There are no plans at this time to seek a federal disaster declaration, he said.

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