Flood — Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula, Alaska

2021-05-12 to 2021-05-14 · near Buckland, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Event narrative

Village officials reported that water levels rose rapidly in the community after the ice jam formed the evening of May 12th. Water and ice was overbank and inundating most of the community with road access to the airport and other locations cut off. By May 14th, water levels dropped significantly with vehicles now able to access to the airport. At the height of the flooding, most of the Buckland was inundated with floodwater up to five feet deep causing extensive damage to homes, evacuations, damage to water treatment facilities, eroded roads and building foundations, and a bulk fuel tank hazardous materials release.

The Governor declared a state disaster for Buckland on May 19th. This declaration activated the State's Individual and Public Assistance disaster recovery programs for both the City of Buckland and the Native Village of Buckland.

Wider weather episode

On the evening of May 12th an ice jam formed on the Buckland River approximately one quarter of a mile below the community of Buckland. This caused the river to backup and result in significant flooding in Buckland. The ice jam broke on May 14th and allowed floodwaters to recede. Local residents report this could be the worst flooding the village has seen since 1978.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (65.9821, -161.1324)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 995207. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.