Flood in Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Minor ice jams formed around the village of Buckland on May 21st, and the water levels on the Buckland River at Buckland began to rise on the 22nd into the 23rd. There was also a considerable amount of higher elevation snow melt that moved into smaller tributaries of the River due to warm temperatures. Flooding began in the village of Buckland on the afternoon of the 23rd and continued into the morning of the 26th. Approximately 70 percent of the homes in the village had water underneath them, but the water did not enter the first floor of any structures. Residents of the village needed to use a canoe to go through town and to access the airport. The water levels dropped significantly during the morning of the 26th as an ice jam that was just downriver of the village released.