Newtok

Day two found us in Newtok on Friday, July 13, 2012. We began our day with a 6am flight from Anchorage to Bethel, where we had enough time to check in to our hotel rooms at the Longhouse. Back to the airport and off to Newtok, located on the edge of Ninglick River. The river has been slowly encroaching and the entire village is under threat. Built on permafrost, which is melting under rising temperatures, most buildings list dangerously on unstable foundations. 

Upon arrival we were met by George, the Era agent, who transported us on the back of his 4-wheeler from the airport into town. The ride was an adventure, with Lindsay and I holding on to the back, our arms wrapped tightly around a large cardboard box that was also unloaded from the airplane. The "roads" are boardwalks, elevated wooden structures above the marshy and unstable land, and they are in need of repair. Knowing that the village will soon be abandoned to the mercy of the river, little if any maintenance is being performed on the infrastructure.

As we worked to document the buildings, we were quickly swarmed by the village children. The adorable tykes came on bikes and via foot, ranging in ages and all exceedingly friendly. They ended up showing us around the village en masse, including a brief but ill-fated jaunt on a 4WD we rented from the Tribal Center. At first they followed along shouting locations of friends and family, until our ride turned up with a flat tire. We returned our short-term rental, and proceeded for the rest of the day on foot --- arguably the safer route given the relative condition of the boardwalks.

After a while we headed to George's to warm up with a cup of coffee and a chat with him and his wife. He told us how, when he was young, the river was several miles away from his house. Today, his property is riverfront, the rushing waters perhaps a quarter-mile away at the most. He and his family will likely relocate when the town does, leaving behind miles of vacated boardwalks and the wood post remnants of fish drying racks.