The three Alaska Native ladies who hail from The Y-K Delta delivered a powerful tale of the effects of the climate change and village relocation to hundreds of dignitaries from around the world and federal officials who gathered this week Alaska at an Arctic Encounter Symposium.
Carolyn George is raising five young girls in the small community of Newtok located at the shores of the Ningliq River. She’s open about the challenges of having living in the community that’s been destroyed by a changing climate.
“We are plagued by flooding all over the place, each year, and you’re aware — there is no sanitation, we do not have plumbing, we aren’t running any water” George said to a crowd of hundreds. “We are blessed with honey buckets. It’s a bucket that you pee and pee, and then dump it into the river. When it floods, it’s back, drenching. It’s gross!”
The residents of Newtok are expected to move 9 miles over into the Ningliq River to Mertarvik, however, the process has been in place for more than two decades. It has been made more complicated by political conflicts and disagreements between local, state and federal government officials.
The most significant obstacle in moving from Newtok is the availability of housing. There isn’t enough housing in Mertarvik.
“Every year, it gets more difficult,” George said. “And I’m excited to relocate to the new location.”
However, the date when George is likely to get her opportunity to relocate is not clear. A few families began relocating in the year the year 2019. At present, just 150 people have permanently relocated to Mertarvik. There are currently more than 200 people in Newtok.
In the past year in the year 2000, this year, the U.S. Department of Interior announced an infusion of $25 million of cash to help people relocate. The price to meet the housing needs only amounts to about one-third of that amount however, it’s unclear if the money will actually be put to use on housing.
Last year, a devastating storm brought on by Typhoon Merbok caused waves that were so strong that they wiped out nearly half the area between the school of the village as well as the Ningliq River. What’s left are about 30 feet worth of sandy swampy land, and George claims that Newtok is no longer in time.
“I believe that if all of us work in concert, for example the federal, state [government] and all companies collaborate this will be more efficient. We need help , and it’s America. We don’t have running water. “We’re Americans!” George said.
The women spoke about their experience before a large crowd consisting of representatives from the U.S. Department of Interior and Arctic Ambassadors of Finland, Norway and Germany.
When Lisa Charles’ 10-year old daughter moved to Mertarvik in the year 2019 She wrote an essay as part of the school assignment.
“I am a fan of the people working on Mertarvik in order to let people relocate here …” it says. “… We have families and friends at Newtok which are separated with us… It’s essential that we remain a single village since we want to remain there in Mertarvik and be able to see our loved ones and friends.”
Charles who is the father of seven kids in Mertarvik He told me that the separation was difficult for them.
“When the first time we moved to on a weekend, they’d request to have a family weekend over in Newtok since they were missing everyone from there,” Charles said.
There is no shop in Mertarvik which is why residents take a boat or snowmachine to the other side of the river to purchase groceries at the supermarket in Newtok.
When Della Carl was the next to give her opinion she spoke about the things her children observe as they move between two communities.
“So we rode the boat to Newtok and were close to Newtok. They were talking like “oh, what’s that smell?’ As if it could be… It smelled like the smell of poop that was muddy.”
Her children were thrilled to return to Mertarvik and they were able to see the difference in the atmosphere. “As when we get to the barge’s landing area my daughter gets out and says “Mom. Do you smell it? It’s like watermelon here!”
