Springtime Flood Risk Reduction in Rural Arctic: A Comparative Study of Interior Alaska, United States and Central Yakutia, Russia

Abstract

Every spring, riverine communities throughout the Arctic face flood risk. As the river ice begins to thaw and break up, ice jams-accumulation of chunks and sheets of ice in the river channel, force melt water and ice floes to back up for dozens of kilometers and flood vulnerable communities upstream. Via a comparative analysis between two flood-prone communities in Alaska and Yakutia (Siberia), this study examines key components of flood risk-hazards, exposure, and vulnerability, and existing practices in flood risk reduction in rural Arctic. The research sites are two rural communities-Galena (Yukon River) and Edeytsy (Lena River), which sustained major ice-jam floods in May 2013. The data was acquired through a combination of direct observations on site, review of documents and archives, focus group discussions, and surveys. Five focus groups with US and Russian representatives from disaster management agencies revealed a few similar patterns as well as significant differences in flood risk reduction strategies. The main differences included higher reliance on mechanical and short-term ice jam and flood mitigation efforts (e.g., ice-jam demolition) in the Russian Arctic, and lack of a centralized flood management model in the US. Surveys conducted among population at risk during the site visits to Edeytsy (November 2015) and Galena (March 2016) revealed higher satisfaction levels with the existing flood risk reduction efforts among Edeytsy residents. Survey respondents in Galena indicated the lack of ice jam removal and other flood prevention measures as the key drawback in the existing flood management. Historical analysis, conducted via the disaster Pressure and Release (PAR) model, revealed that springtime flood risk in both regions results from complex interactions among a series of natural processes that generate conditions of hazard, and human actions that generate conditions of communities' exposure and vulnerability. The analysis revealed colonial heritage, top-down governance, and limited inclusion of local communities in the decision-making as the driving forces of vulnerability in both regions. Seasonal weather patterns and regional river channel morphology determine the location, severity, and duration of floods. The analysis also revealed the importance of continuous communication between all stakeholders in timely and effective flood risk management in both regions.

Study protocol: International joint research project ‘climate change resilience of Indigenous socioecological systemsʼ (RISE)

“…Our multidisciplinary research group is comprised of three national teams from Japan, Russia, and Thailand, each with complementary expertise in areas such as climate change ecology, environmental economics, social studies, anthropology, regional development, and nutrition science. Importantly, our teams have an established record of research collaboration with the Indigenous communities that is the focus of this project [ 28 – 31 ].…”

Des cartes mentales pour analyser la vulnérabilité au risque d’une ville de l’Arctique russe : Khamagatta

“…Situé en rive gauche de la Léna 3 , le terrain choisi 4 pour cette recherche, Khamagatta (1 727 habitants), est une petite ville de l'Arctique russe qui se situe à 80 km au nord de Iakoutsk (335 000 habitants), capitale de la Sibérie orientale. Comme d'autres communes de Sibérie, elle est particulièrement vulnérable aux risques d'inondation liés à débâcle du fleuve, à la fonte du pergélisol (Nakashima et al 2012 ;Kontar et al, 2018) et aux feux de forêt (Janiec et al, 2019 ;GIEC-IPCC, 2021). La gestion du risque s'appuie essentiellement sur la construction d'ouvrages de type digues 5 .…”

“…Durant les inondations de débâcle, les populations locales sont fortement soutenues par les autorités sous la forme de secours logistiques. Post-événement, les populations impactées par les inondations touchent des indemnisations conséquentes (Kontar et al, 2018). Pour résumer, les facteurs de progression de la vulnérabilité de ce territoire se caractérisent par une absence de prévention, en amont du risque, associée à une croissance urbaine et démographique rapide (Rollot et al, 2017).…”

“…Après la chute du bloc soviétique, ces populations habitant dans le lit du fleuve y sont toutefois restées : ainsi sur 960 000 personnes vivant en Yakoutie, 630 000 personnes habitent dans les plaines inondables. Parmi cette population, 43 % subissent régulièrement des inondations printanières et des dégâts majeurs comme le charriage de maisons, voire la disparition de villages entiers (Kontar et al, 2018) sur l'environnement (Conklin, 1955 ;Levi-Strauss, 1962 ;Freeman, 1976). On parle aussi de savoirs concrets liés à des pratiques (Collignon, 2005 ;Roué et al, 2017).…”

Social vulnerability to natural hazards in tourist destinations of developed regions

“…Fadigas, 2017), gender studies (e.g. Yumarni et al, 2014) or, most of all, natural hazards (Sandoval and Voss, 2016;Kontar et al, 2018;Afroz et al, 2018). Despite its widespread use, this model has two conceptual gaps.…”