Alaska Wants to Move an Entire Town Threatened by Climate Change

The state of Alaska may become the first U.S. territory to move an entire community as a result of changes wrought by climate change.

The state is seeking $62.6 million to relocate the entire village of Newtok in the state's west, as erosion caused by rising sea levels has made the land it is situated on unstable and prone to flooding, according to The Associated Press. Permafrost, a type of soil that remains frozen for two or more years, is also melting because of climate change, making the foundations of homes and other establishments unstable, further increasing the risk.

The Ninglick River on which the town is situated eats as much as 75 feet of river bank a year and is getting ever closer to homes. The plans Alaska is seeking approval for calls for relocating most of the town and 62 of its families to higher ground 9 miles from the current location.

The money Alaska is requesting is coming from a $1 billion fund from the Department of Urban Housing and Development that was set up to help find ways to cope with climate change and help communities that would be the most directly affected.

Newtok is only one of the towns for which Alaska is hoping to get funding, and the actions Alaska seeks to take are the most dramatic. The state is seeking a total of $162.4 million to help the towns of Emmonak, Galena, and Teller, which have also suffered from intense storms in recent years.

There are 40 other finalists for the funds throughout the United States, including New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has yet to fully recover. The contest for funding closes Oct. 27