Shishmaref Storm

This sketch is a depiction of the landmarks in Shishmaref as they pertain to the photos on this page. Features were traced onto an overlayment of the Community and Economic Development profile map of Shishmaref.
This is Harry Kokeok’s house looking West from the center of Shishmaref. As noted, the edge of this house is 15 ft from the nearest crack and 31 ft from the edge. Note the reference point for photos taken from beach level.	A slightly closer view of Harry Kokeok’s house.
Harry Kokeok’s house as seen from the West side looking East toward the center of Shishmaref. The reference point is immediately to the rear of the photographer.	This a beach level below Harry Kokeok’s house. To the left, the undercutting has fallen resulting in the cracks seen in the street in front of his house. The out-building reference point can be seen at the top of the bluff. This undercut goes back to un-melted permafrost about 16 feet back from the front of the ledge.
A closer view of the undercutting of the bluff. This can be caused by what locals term a “silent storm” or low-level surf event that. The warmer water rolls up the beach and supplies heat to melt back into the permafrost. Normal surf does not reach this far.	Another view showing the undercut bluff. In the background is the bluff in front of the Kokeok house that has caved in. The caved in bluff will then repose and serve to insulate the permafrost until the next storm surge carries away the sand and allows the surf to access the permafrost again.
Shows view from beach in front of Davis Sockpick and Howard Weyiouanna houses. Use the identified utility pole as a point of reference in this photo series. Note the undercut bank in front of these two homes. Also note the sandbag debris from the 1997 emergency protection project. This project was a temporary measure to prevent further permafrost degradation at the toe of the bluff. In some cases, these sandbags were stuffed into the shelf cavity. These are HUD/NAHASDA homes.	Shows street level view of the Davis Sockpick and Howard Weyiouanna homes. Line depicting relative position of bluff undercut at beach level represents up to 16' of shelf. These are HUD/NAHASDA homes
Shows street view looking East toward the center of town.	Reviews the beach level view in front of and to the West of the Sockpick house.
This is the house owned by Reuben Weyiouanna looking West. This is a HUD/NAHASDA home.	This is a street level view of the Native Store storage sheds used to store merchandise.
Top of “China Wall” revetment view of the front storage shed.	Top of "China Wall" revetment and front of Native Store storage shed.
Shows the revetment constructed from recycled articulating block material. This project was funded through a National Flood Insurance Mitigation Program. This is the only revetement that has remained unscathed. Through other small grants, the community extended this structure with sandbag gabions to the right and left. The sand bag portions are starting to fail.	Shows failing sandbag gabions that were constructed to extend the concrete block portion of the revetment. Other sand bag gabion projects can be seen laying on the beach.
Vintage sandbag gabions litter the foreground. Most of the sandbags emptied of their sand and all that remains are the wire gabions.	Depicts relationship of school building to the Native Store shed and the beach. Note that this is not the school, but ancillary housing and space.
This is a beach level view of the two buildings owned by the BSSD	Looking East toward the Nayokpuk Store tank farm from in front of the BSSD school buildings.
In front of the Nayokpuk tank farm. Shows the gabion project that the community constructed this summer in anticipation of losses this Fall.	Showing distance of front tanks from the beach and the staging area for sandbagging operations to further protect the tank farm.
showing distance of front tanks from the beach and the staging area for sandbagging operations to further protect the tank farm.

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