An ice jam on the Yukon River near Galena, Alaska, caused severe flooding in May 2013. Nearly 150 homes were significantly damaged and 14 houses were totally destroyed in this small Alaska Native community.

World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist the affected homeowners in Galena this summer to get them back in their houses before the Alaskan winter weather begins in late September.

“Right now, the aim is to get homes that can be repaired into livable condition in a very short timeframe,” says Bill Adams, World Renew DRS Director. “At the same time, we are considering the repairs and new construction that has to wait until the weather clears in the spring.”

In 2009, World Renew responded to similar flooding in partnership with FEMA in Tanana, another small Alaskan Native town that sits at the confluence of the Yukon and Tanana Rivers, where ice jams and ice melts are not uncommon.

“This disaster is apparently even worse than in previous years,” Adams says, “and it’s in a town that has not experienced severe flooding before. ” 

DRS is seeking skilled carpenters, electricians, and plumbers who can give at least two weeks in Alaska this summer. Travel expenses will be covered. Those who are interested in volunteering in Galena between July 21 and late September, please email [email protected] or call 800-848-5818.

To donate financially to help those affected by flooding in Alaska and other storms this spring, please give to…

Spring Storms 2013

 

Photo Credit: ready.alaska.gov