Relocation in store for Alaskan village

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS

It could cost about $180 million to move the Bering Strait village of Shishmaref to solid ground, says the Anchorage Daily News. That’s nearly twice the price of relocating the 600 residents to Nome.

Almost 90 percent of Alaska’s 213 native villages are affected by floods or erosion. Four of them, including Shishmaref, are in danger.

The most expensive option is moving Shishmaref to the mainland. The $179 million cost includes nearly $20 million to move the community’s 150 homes, $26 million to move or build public facilities, such as a new school, health clinic, fire hall and city office, $23 million for roads and $25 million for an airport. Water treatment, sewage and solid waste facilities would cost another $25 million. Included in the total is $36 million for contingencies.

The least expensive option is moving Shishmaref’s population to Nome, which would cost $93 million, a recent engineering study found. New homes account for a quarter of the cost, but Nome would need nearly $35 million worth of roads, buildings and water and sewer facilities to handle the added population.