Flood — Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

2009-05-09 to 2009-05-12 · near Stevens Village, Yukon Flats Nearby Uplands, Alaska

Wider weather episode

The breakup front stopped just downstream of Stevens Village during the late morning hours on the 9th, and solid ice was in place where the river stops braiding and entering the canyon below Stevens Village. Due to the extreme flooding that was experienced upriver in Eagle on May 4-6, 2009, nearly the entire village was evacuated by plane to Fairbanks prior to the onset of the flood. The water levels rose over 20 feet during the night of the 8th into the morning of the 9th. Water levels continued to rise rapidly during the afternoon of the 9th, and by approximately 5 pm the road along the river at Stevens Village began to flood. The water levels continued to rise during the evening and into the morning hours of the 10th. By the early morning hours on the 10th, there was widespread flooding in town with water up to the highest house in town. Only the school and approximately 5 houses in the village were spared by the flood waters, and most homes sustained major flood damage. In total, 3 homes were destroyed and 31 homes had major damage. All power and phone service to the village was compromised by the flooding. Homes along the river received a significant amount of ice damage, and the ice knocked down all utility poles along the river front. The road that runs from the village to the airport sustained significant damage in several places and was impassable. The water levels crested at approximately 5am on the 11th, and then began to recede, but the water did not go below bankfull until the afternoon or evening of the 12th. The damage estimates for this event include the costs to repair and replace homes that were damaged and destroyed as well as costs to repair and replace public infrastructure and equipment.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (66.0021, -149.0295)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 163400. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.