Natural Disasters in Denali, Alaska

Jon StoneNatural Disasters 1700

Issues Alaska Faces With The Exponential Thawing Of Permafrost

With the global warming that is happening, Alaska is just one of many places where the effects are blatantly obvious. All of the following issues listed are

either direct or indirect results of global warming. These are also things I dealt with on a

regular basis while employed for Holland America Cruise Line in Denali National

Park.

1. Landslides

2. Flooding

3. Unseasonable Severe Weather

Holland America

While working in Denali, Alaska I was one of the Sales Service and Transportation Supervisors. Part of my job was to meet between 400-1500 people a day off of two trains that arrived form Fairbanks and Anchorage. Normally things ran well and it was a great experience. However, as you will see with some of the slides I am going to show, it could also be extremely stressful with some very long days.

The first slide is a picture of Holland America’s McKinley Explorer rail car showing the size of the train and gives some perspective to theissues we encountered. Each rail car can hold about 100 people.

When we would have issues with the railroad, we would have to scramble with buses and on one occasion, when the highway was washed out, we used Chinook helicopters to get people from one destination to another.

Holland America McKinley Explorer Rail Car

• Bing.com/images

Landslide Under Rail Tracks Near Talkeetna, Alaska

bing.com/images from Anchorage Daily News

Flooding In Southern Half Of State

This is a photo of flooding near Wasilla, which is just north of Anchorage.

bing.com/images

Park Road Between Anchorage and Fairbanks

Severe thunder storms are normal in Alaska, however their frequency and severity

have increased over the years which leads to the flooding and landslides.

bing.com/images

Solving The Rail Problems When They Arise

When a train does derail, after all the passengers have disembarked and been put

on buses to their next destination, the real work begins. At times it takes 24 hours

of round the clock work to get these trains and tracks back in order.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I can say, I have witnessed first hand the issues of global warming and the effect of thawing permafrost. I do not pretend to have any of the answers to this problem, and unfortunately it may be too late to fix. Also, if you ever get the chance to visit Alaska, do not let what I have shown you stop you from experiencing one of the most beautiful places in the country, if not the world.