Heres’ the latest from Mark Leary in Napaimute as of 1:00 am on the 25th:
Whew – busy day on the River at Napaimute:
Took a boat ride up to the lower end of the jam above Napaimute. It was right at the mouth of the Alukaq River. One huge sheet of ice was blocking the River from the hillside all the way across into the mouth of Alukaq with ice & water backed up behind it for 10 miles or so.
From there I drifted back down to check the airport and the home sites around the bend.
After I got back to Napaimute and pulled the boat out, the jam above let loose with a rapid rise in water level. Ice ran bank to bank for 4 hrs with the water continuing to rise. All of this ice caught up to the intact ice down by Kolmokofsky where the water was already high. This ice didn’t move so the 4 hr. run of ice began backing up towards Napaimute. At this time the ice is stopped down by John Borowski’s place 5 miles below and slowly backing up here although it has thinned out. The current gets slower and slower and the water keeps rising. Water has been entering the low lying area at the end of the village slowly filling Joe & Dee’s yard.
4 feet of bank left in front of our house.
Won’t sleep much tonight – keep checking the water level.
Good night / good morning.
4 hrs of bank to bank ice going by the village.
The tranquility between the ice flows.
After one ice push the chunks left behind on the bank.
The moon doesn’t get any fuller than this.
Some large sheets moving through.
The water level at 11:00 pm on the 24th.