On the banks of the Ninlik River in southwestern Alaska, the Yupik village of Newtok sits on permafrost that is thawing as the climate warms.
Schaefer: “Their villages are extremely subsidence and extremely eroded, so they have no choice but to relocate. They've lost miles of land.
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Alliance is working with Newtok, which will relocate the community to a site nine miles away across the river. About half of the villages have been relocated so far.
She said relocating villages and building new homes and infrastructure would be costly and logistically challenging.
For example, the region's construction season only lasts about three months each year, so progress is slow.
The old school will close this year, but the new school isn't ready yet, Schaefer said.
The electricity system in the old neighborhood was old and poorly maintained, while the electricity system in the new village was overstressed and not growing fast enough.
Schaefer: “Our community is split in two. We have a tribal government trying to manage and operate two systems, two communities.
Therefore, as the climate warms, relocation is necessary. But it's a long and difficult process.
Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media
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