Flooding Destroys Village of Crooked Creek
About 70 percent of the community is underwater and more families and homes in surrounding villages could be affected.
By
Grace Jang
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Story Created:
May 10, 2011 at 12:26 PM AKDT
Story Updated:
May 10, 2011 at 12:26 PM AKDT
Dozens of families in the village of Crooked Creek have lost their homes to a flood that the residents there are calling the worst the lower Kuskokwim Valley has seen in years.
About 70 percent of the community is underwater and more families and homes in surrounding villages could be affected.
“If they lose their house which swept away--it's like a re-run of New Orleans--so what are they going to do?” said Golga Sakar whose family lives in Crooked Creek.
An ice jam is blocking the flow of water down the Kuskokwim River, which rushed into houses so quickly one man was stuck as his home flooded.
The community reached out to nearby Donlin Creek Gold Mine for help.
“We had to get him by boat because the water came in so quickly nobody had a chance,” said Kurt Parkan, a Donlin Creek spokesperson.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
“We sent out a helicopter from Anchorage about 8 this morning and all day today we were shuttling people to higher ground in Crooked Creek…we've so far evacuated about 49 people from the community of Crooked Creek,” said Kurt.
Pilots with Vanderpool Flying Service also spent much of the day flying people to the mine, but the families won't have much to return to.
"Twenty-four homes have been either they range from completely destroyed to knocked-off foundations to water and ice damage. Twenty-four homes,” said Evelyn Thomas, Crooked Creek Traditional Council.
“I'm just worried that all their stuff is lost -- pictures, native food, everything's gone washed away,” said Golga.
The concern now turns to other villages as the Kuskokwim continues to flood.
Thomas said the fear now is that Aniak could be hit hard next.
Department of Homeland Security flood response crews are in Aniak preparing for the expected disaster.
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yupiik said on Wednesday, May 11 at 10:38 PM
go back to the hole you came out from sahone,even your user name or your name sounds very stupid.
66905394ice jam said on Wednesday, May 11 at 4:01 PM
info taken from: http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/products/fcst.php?product=SRAK48PACR
66891164ice jam said on Wednesday, May 11 at 4:00 PM
THE ICE JAM AT CROOKED CREEK WAS STILL HOLDING THIS AFTERNOON HOWEVER WATER LEVELS HAD DROPPED MORE THAN 4 FEET FROM THEIR PEAK. WATER STILL WAS FLOODING NUMEROUS LOW LYING AREAS AND CUTTING OFF ROAD BETWEEN AIRPORT AND PARTS OF TOWN. THE JAM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES DOWNSTREAM FROM THE VILLAGE. AT ANIAK THERE ARE CHUNKS AND PANS FROZEN IN PLACE WITH SHEAR LINES FROM THE FALL MOVEMENT OF ICE EVIDENT. ANIAK SLOUGH HAD STARTED MOVING AND WATER WAS DRAINING THROUGH IT WITH ABOUT 50 TO 60 PERCENT ICE COVERAGE. DOWNSTREAM OF BIRCH CROSSING ICE IS ROTTING AND LARGE OPENINGS ARE BEGINNING TO APPEAR. FROM COFFEE BAND BELOW KALSKAG TO NEAR BETHEL THE ICE WAS DETERIORATING WITH SOME LARGE OPEN HOLES IN PLACE.
66891106Miuli said on Wednesday, May 11 at 9:47 AM
We have lived near the river for many years and generations, that is our life.. we get our food from the river, winter and summer. We do not support our selves on store bought foods. I raise my children the way I was brought up, they know the way of subsistence way of life. Please be considerate of how you word your words! We are not stupid, we are THE REAL PEOPLE(YUP'IK) that knows hows to survive from what our good Lord has provided for us.
66865531Knowledge is power said on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:24 AM
1980s, when Western Gold Mining and Exploration went out of business. A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Village of Crooked Creek. Crooked Creek is a mixed Yup'ik Eskimo and Ingalik Athabascan village with a lifestyle reliant on subsistence activities. According to Census 2010, there were 47 housing units in the community and 38 were occupied. Its population was 83.8 percent American Indian or Alaska Native; 7.6 percent white; 8.6 percent of the local residents had multi-racial backgrounds.
66849276Knowledge is power said on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:22 AM
It was first reported in 1844 by the Russian explorer Zagoskin, who recorded the name of the creek as "Kvikchagpak" ("great bend" in Yup'ik) and as "Khottylno" ("sharp turn" in Ingalik). He noted that the site was used as a summer fish camp for the nearby villagers of Kwigiumpainukamuit. In 1909, a permanent settlement was established as a way station for the Flat and Iditarod gold mining camps. The USGS reported it in 1910 as "Portage Village," because it was at the south end of a portage route up Crooked Creek to the placer mines. In 1914, Denis Parent founded a trading post upriver from the creek mouth, in what would become the "upper village" of Crooked Creek. A post office was opened in 1927, and a school was built in 1928. The "lower village" was settled by Eskimos and Ingalik Indians. By the early 1940s, there was a Russian Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas Chapel, and several homes. The upper and lower portions of the village remain today. Gold production continued through the late
66849101sahone said on Tuesday, May 10 at 11:34 PM
cool got some people mad at me and by the way im not a biggot and yes i have been well off the roads of this beautiful state we all call home and Katrina and what is going on here are 2 very different situations....and btw i am anti PALIN as well as a tree hugger so go back to doing whatever fills the void in your life....nice talking to you all
66834687anti-sahone said on Tuesday, May 10 at 11:20 PM
sahone, if you live here, you don't pay state taxes and the state, in fact, pays you a dividend check that more than covers any portion of disaster relief you pay in federal taxes. These are record high floods that affected houses built above the flood mark. This is not a village that has flooded and been destroyed before. Could it happen? Sure. Obviously. But the river is the life blood of the village. All their fuel comes in from river barge. It is used to travel, summer and winter, to other villages. Have you ever been off the road system you bigoted whiner? You probably don't want your tax dollars to help Americans affected by recent tornadoes, Katrina or other disasters. Your attitude is what makes America great and respected throughout the world. NOT!!!
66834427sahone said on Tuesday, May 10 at 5:03 PM
i think you all need to do your research just like the californians who keep building houses on cliffs that keep falling into the ocean....and btw have lived here in alaska for almost 40 years and they continue to have the same flooding problems every year and expect people to fix there houses and villages but dont want to move due to traditions well traditionally native peoples moved with the migrating animals and were smart enough to realize that rivers change courses and flood
66821166kusko resident said on Tuesday, May 10 at 4:50 PM
Just sitting here...they used to blow up ice jams and I forget why they stopped. I think it was for environmental reasons. Sahone...never mind...you are an idjit!
66820556alaskangrrl said on Tuesday, May 10 at 4:28 PM
Crooked Creek has never flooded that way! It is shocking! sahone- we don't build by the river, houses there are landmarks that have never flooded. We are not stupid and you if you have such a problem with taxes then LEAVE!
66819497Just sitting here.. said on Tuesday, May 10 at 4:22 PM
I live in Alaska and I have seen what Ice Jams do on the Kenai River and that was a moving Ice Jam..Why don't they use some sort of explosive to break up this ice jam and get the water moving?
66819164AlaskanAmerican said on Tuesday, May 10 at 3:43 PM
Sahone you probably are not from Alaska, not a true Native of this Great Land.
66817267rosek said on Tuesday, May 10 at 3:36 PM
follow up. They may never have had flooding to this extent before.
66816863rosek said on Tuesday, May 10 at 3:35 PM
Sahone, has it occurred to you that they may not have had flooding to this extent in the village?
66816819someone. said on Tuesday, May 10 at 2:12 PM
Scary. I wish it can flood here. it never floods here. Scary tho.
66812697sahone said on Tuesday, May 10 at 2:01 PM
I am sorry for all these people have lost but why do they keep rebuilding that close to rivers they know flood EVERY YEAR......i shouldbt have to pay for stupidity and by working a job and paying taxes thats what will happen....again sorry they lost everything but move the village like you should have done last year
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