The remnants of Hurricane Merbok have been battering Alaska’s west coast since late Friday, causing flooding strong enough to uproot buildings and force residents to seek shelter.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Saturday declared a disaster for affected communities as heavy rains lashed the coast, filling roads with water and debris.
By Saturday night, the governor reported impacts to roads, oil storage facilities and possibly seawalls. Authorities were still assessing whether the storm affected water and sewer systems in the state’s western cities, Dunleavy said at a Saturday evening briefing.
About 450 residents in coastal communities have sought shelter in schools, according to Brian Fisher, director of the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
There were no reports of injuries or casualties related to the storm as of Saturday night, said Maj. Torrence Saxe of the Alaska National Guard, adding that “there will likely be a military response” with aircraft ready to help with evacuations if needed.
Water continues to rise early Sunday, with levels expected to peak above the high tide line 3-5 feet in Deering, 4-6 feet in Kotzebue and 5-7 feet in Shishmaref and Kivalina, according to the National Meteorological Service.
“This is about numbers,” the NWS tweeted.
As the remnants of Hurricane Merbok bear down on the west coast of Alaska, it is important to report the magnitude of this storm. Coastal flooding and high wind warnings are currently in effect for the West Coast and West Arctic Coast as the storm tracks through the Bering Strait. #AKwx pic.twitter.com/p6gsXB69oG — NWS Fairbanks (@NWSFairbanks) September 17, 2022 Coastal flood warnings remain in place for the west and north coasts of Alaska through Sunday as several locations see extremely high water levels, according to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam.
Water will remain at or near peak levels for up to 24 hours in some locations. Winds are expected to weaken as the storm pushes inland, but water levels along the coast are expected to remain high through Sunday.
The storm is shaping up to be the state’s strongest in more than a decade, according to forecasters.
Creating a “very angry sea” in the city of Nome, according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks, the storm brought “waves and storm surge pushing into the community.”
Water levels are still rising and are expected to peak Sunday afternoon before slowly receding, affecting the town’s population of more than 9,800.
The water level in Nome was 8.47 feet Saturday night, down from a high of 10.52 feet earlier in the day. The levels exceeded those seen during major storms in 2011 and 2004, according to the National Weather Service.
A floating building hit a 300-gallon tank in Nome around 6 p.m. local time, resulting in a spill, according to Jason Brune, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The extent of the spill was still unknown Saturday night.
Nome resident Simon Kinneen said he was driving by the Snake River in the Belmont Point area when he saw a house floating in the distance.
“The wind got high enough to float the house and the wind and the wave blew the house to the northwest,” he told CNN.
In a video shot by Kinneen, an entire house can be seen floating down the river before getting stuck between the river and a nearby bridge.
In Golovin, where some houses floated off their foundations, residents were moved to a local school on higher ground on Saturday, authorities said.
“Water surrounds school, homes and structures flooded, at least two homes floating off foundations, some older fuel tanks tilted,” the National Weather Service in Fairbanks tweeted.
Golovin has a population of about 175, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and is located south of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.
