Erosion In Shishmaref, Alaska

In 2002 the residents of Shishmaref, Alaska voted to relocate their village 12 miles south and further away from the coast.  They took this extraordinary decision because the ground beneath them was literally being washed away.

Shishmaref is located in North West Alaska only 32 kilometres from the Arctic Circle.  It is home to some 500 Eskimos.

Temperatures in Alaska have risen around four times faster than the global average affecting ice that forms along the coast in winter.  This ice forms a natural barrier protecting the town from storms.  The warmer temperatures cause the ice to thin and to melt earlier allowing the Arctic storms and the Chutchi Sea to erode the soil beneath the homes.

The warmer temperatures also cause the permafrost beneath the village to melt making the soil more susceptible to erosion.

Before making the decision to relocate the whole village some 20 homes had to be moved. It was too late for one which collapsed down a slope to the water’s edge.

The relocation is expected to exceed AUD$200 million.  Engineers predict all the houses in Shishmaref could fall into the sea within the next few decades.

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Published with permission of Claim Solutions Pty Ltd 

Insurance Policy

Country: - Alaska

Policy Description: - Not specfied 

Insurer: - Not specified 

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