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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard is helping the island community of Little Diomede, which has been without electricity for more than 24 hours, with the support of a Black Hawk helicopter and crew after a power outage hit the area Dec. 11.
Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Bering Strait School District notified the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s State Emergency Operations Center of the power outage. The SEOC requested support through the Alaska National Guard’s Joint Operation Center in transporting an electrician via an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Nome to Little Diomede.
The Black Hawk helicopter departed Nome shortly before noon today with the electrician on board. They arrived in Little Diomede at 12:50 p.m., dropped off the electrician and made it back to Nome just after 2 p.m.
The remote island is approximately 140 miles northwest of Nome and, with dangerous winter sea waters, a twin-engine helicopter is the only means of transportation in or out of the small Alaska community.
Carolyn Heflin, the Bering Strait School District director of curriculum and instruction, said the school district flew an electrician to Nome Dec. 11. The plan was for the electrician to then fly into Little Diomede, but the only local charter company’s helicopter was down for maintenance. The weekly scheduled routine helicopter flight is not planned until Monday, so the SEOC turned to the Alaska National Guard for much-needed support.
“With temperatures right around zero degrees and wind chills dropping down to minus 30, there is an immediate need to get the power restored,” explained Claude Denver, SEOC response manager. “The private helicopter company could not meet our time frame and the National Guard has the capability and personnel to transport an electrician out of Nome, which is essential given the critical power situation, sheltered population, weather conditions and the potential for critical infrastructure loss.”
The Bering Strait School District reports that citizens have been consolidating in the Diomede School, where they have access to food and water.
“All schools in our district are designated as FEMA shelters by nature of having food provisions and generators,” Heflin said. “The school itself is running on a generator with the temperature maintaining at 55 degrees.”
Heflin said the district is most concerned about residents’ homes being without electricity for more than 24 hours, which will lead to pipes freezing and bursting.
“We were really glad that the National Guard was willing to help and bring our employee to Diomede,” Heflin said. “The only communication we have is via satellite phone with the school’s principal, all others are down. They [residents in the school] are physically OK right now, as far as having food and water, but eventually running water and sewage will decline and sanitation could be a problem.”
“Little Diomede is an extremely remote location with limited resources; this kind of mission is and can be vital to survival for them,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Stettenbenz, Army Aviation Operations Facility #1 commander in Nome. “I'm glad we were able to give them the assistance. We enjoy helping our community, Alaskans helping Alaskans.”
“It is still during the daylight hours, so he [electrician] can make some really good progress before they have to work at night, which becomes inherently much more problematic,” Denver said. “All wheels are turning together to make this operation happen.”
Denver mentioned that the DHS&EM stands ready to assist, and if problems arise, they will continue to bring in partners such as the Alaska National Guard, Bering Strait School District and Alaska Energy Authority.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2014 20:06 |
| Story ID: | 150247 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Alaska National Guard assists remote island community without power, by Balinda ONeal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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