Background Articles

At least 30 houses still needed repairs, cleanup was ongoing, and the city’s residents grappled with the need to fix snowmachines, keep their soaked houses warm and prepare for future emergencies.

This research compiles over a century of local flood data in Alaska to improve future flood risk prediction and planning, addressing the lack of accessible historic flood information for community and regional use.

The slide Sunday afternoon just above the Southeast Alaska city’s downtown sent tons of debris and mud onto a half-dozen homes, killing one person and injuring three.

Landslides have killed at least 12 Alaskans in the past decade and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure.

Floodwaters from the Mendenhall River rushed under Sam and Amanda Hatch’s home last August at then record-levels. After the water receded, their house sank several inches into the saturated soil, shifting its foundations. As they rebuilt, the Hatch family decided to elevate their house by four feet on piers to avoid flooding in the future. Scraping together deals and favors, Sam Hatch said the whole process cost around $135,000. It was completed a month ago, he said.

Despite a general decrease in wildfires across B.C., the Dogtooth fire near Golden has destroyed structures and prompted evacuations, contrasting with the province's improving situation.

Climate change is affecting all aspects of the northern housing industry, from the structures themselves to the transportation of materials. One way to fix the issue is to put more reliance on northern community-based knowledge..