Wanda Sue Page had a problem.
The hefty fuel costs made for a difficult few months in Noatak, which had an exceptionally cold winter this year.All over town, she said, people tried to stay warm when they did not have enough money for stove oil. Several times in the middle of the night she brought wood to her 96-year-old mother’s house. A nephew stayed with her when he had no fuel at all and couldn’t keep warm at his home. Some younger men collected cardboard from the store to burn.
, changes in the Noatak River made the channel depth too shallow for barge access, which is how almost all coastal and river communities in Western Alaska get fuel delivered during the brief windows in the ice-free season.Now, Noatak is one of a few rural towns in Alaska that have to bring in all their fuel by plane instead of barge. Though the communities leapfrog each other for the most expensive fuel prices, the gallons sold for much of this winter for $15.
Toward the end of last year, storms across Western Alaska, outbreaks of COVID among airline staff, and logistical challenges arising from backlogged flights caused Noatak to scramble for an alternative air carrier as fuel supplies ran out. A smaller carrier than the normally used service made it work, but it made the. The recent decline reflects a return to deliveries by the town’s regular carrier.
The town was already having issues with low levels in its water tank, but with gas and electric bills bulging, people cut back on things like heat trace systems along pipes, causing more bursts and freeze-ups. Frustrated by losing water service, Booth said some people who were able snowmachined to Kotzebue to wash laundry.
At his age, Williams has had to retire from many subsistence activities, and was looking forward to his wife’s return from a trip into Anchorage for a grandchild’s graduation.