30 May 2013

30-Mile-Long Ice Jam Lifts Homes Off Foundations




(Ed Plumb/AP)  In this May 27, 2013 photo released by the National Weather Service, ice and water are shown flooding homes and other buildings in Galena, Alaska. Several hundred people are estimated to have fled the community of Galena in Alaska's interior, where a river ice jam has caused major flooding, sending water washing over roads and submerging buildings.

(Ed Plumb/AP)  In this May 27, 2013 photo released by the National Weather Service, the ice jam on the Yukon River at Bishop Rock is shown in Galena, Alaska. Several hundred people are estimated to have fled the community of Galena in Alaska's interior, where a river ice jam has caused major flooding, sending water washing over roads and submerging buildings.


5 comments:

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

Sending prayers to those families and businesses affected in this river ice jam.

threecollie said...

Wow, those poor souls!

Rev. Paul said...

Thanks, Sandy. Little villages like those affect are mostly residences: fishing cabins and summer homes.

threecollie, it's not the first time in recent history, either. The Yukon goes through phases like this - it all depends on how fast or slow springtime moves in. A slow thaw is better, usually.

joated said...

Couldn't the Air Force have spared one little bomb at the front of that jam? I mean, TNT used to be used on log jams. A properly placed 200-250 pound bomb could have relieved the flooding, no? Or don't they make bombs that small any more?

Rev. Paul said...

joated, I had the same thought. Apparently, you can clear smallish jams that way, but when you blow a really big one, there's a high-speed replay of a glacier - complete with land- and brush-clearing floes. Not good.

Doesn't mean some sourdough didn't go out there with a few sticks of dynamite & give 'er a try. :)