Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Destruction

The mighty Yukon is putting up a fight this spring. The river has taken its first casualties after only making a few sweeping bends after crossing the border into Alaska. Portions of the village of Eagle have been swallowed by a chaotic sea of moving water and ice. (photo courtesy C.McElfresh)

The Old Native village is completely destroyed as massive blocks of ice smash the structures like match sticks and the river inundates the forest. (NWS photo)

Floodwaters reached the highest levels ever recorded at the quaint village which has been perched above the Yukon River for over 100-years. Buildings were twisted or completely removed from their foundations. (NPS photo)

Chunks of ice remain stranded as the water recedes. (NPS photo)

The roofs of two cabins are barely visible as they are carried into the middle of the river and begin their 1000-mile journey towards the Bering Sea (NPS photo).

3 comments:

Unknown said...

It's a shame what whe're doing to ourselves.

Lili said...

Ed- I'm so glad you posted these pictures. I was hoping you would after I heard you on the radio. I LOVED EAGLE!! This is truly terrible....

Phil said...

Glad you are writing on your blog again. You have the greatest pics and excursions, I was sucked into reading a bunch! Awesome!