Responders Race Against Winter to Fix Flooded Alaska Town

Responders and frustrated residents are racing against a tight deadline to help rebuild a badly flooded town in Alaska’s interior before the region’s unforgiving winter arrives.

The town of Galena is working on a backup plan for alternate local housing in case some homes remain inhabitable by winter, as expected. City manager Greg Moyer says about 80 people from the community of about 500 have not been able to return to their homes yet.

Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency stepped in to help after the spring flooding in parts of Alaska were declared a federal disaster.

FEMA says responders are doing the best they can in Galena, given the logistical challenges of working in a community that is far from the state’s limited road system.