1974 Bering Sea Storm
A powerful Bering Sea storm, forming near Adak in the Aleutians, moved up the western coast of Alaska and brought with it 70mph winds that battered Nome and its surrounding villages the night of 11/11 and into the morning of 11/12.[1] The lowest pressure from the storm over Nome was 970mb.[2]
In Nome, seawalls helped block some of the ocean water from destroying the city. Even so, Front Street, Nome’s main road, was covered under 5ft of water after 10ftwaves crashed onto shore.[3][4] The storm completely destroyed the village of King Island, ruining most, if not all, the homes there. Rebuilding King Island cost an estimated $1.2M[5], while the storm in total cost $15M around the Nome area.[6]
Communications were lost for many of the villages, and combined with freezing temperatures and some floodwater saturated with oil, immediate attention was required. Many supplies were airlifted to the villages, including fuel and generators.[7]
President Ford declared the flooding a federal disaster on 11/14. This declaration allowed funds to be available for relief aid.[8]The flooding has been called more devastating than the 1964 Anchorage earthquake and the 1967 Fairbanks flood, and is the most severe recorded storm in Nome.[9]
Citation / Details / File(s)Seawater rips through Nome. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 12, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- Nome and low-lying native villages were the target for some of the worst flooding there in two decades on the night of 11/11. There were 70mph winds.
- No injuries were reported.
- On 11/12 The Alaska Disaster Office in Anchorage ferried 25,000 sandbags to Nome. A plane carrying equipment and technicians was also sent.
- The only communications Nome had were teletype circuits being run by generator and emergency phones operating by battery power.
- The Civil Defense Office closed all roads fanning out from Nome because of flooding.
- Many stores and businesses were flooded. There were also many reports of broken glass and roofs being lifted off by strong winds.
- This storm was spawned by a low-pressure system hovering over the Siberian coast, 200 miles to the west.
24-Hour Weather Forecast. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 12, 1974. Page(s): 5. /
- The powerful storm that battered the Seward Peninsula and the northwest Alaskan coast is slowly moving north into the Arctic Sea and weakening.
- A new storm is expected to move into the Aleutian Chain on 1/12 and is then expected to move north.
New storm appears headed for Nome. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 13, 1974. Author(s): Howard Weaver. Page(s): 1, 2. /
- The storm, forming near Adak in the Aleutians, piled water to the shore like how a snowdrift does.
- 10ft of water crashed onto Front Street.
- Most of the city was without power and heat was shutoff in many dwellings.
- Communication was cutoff to small villages; with freezing temperatures, help was needed immediately.
- Half of the landing strip at the airport was underwater. All commercial flights were cancelled.
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Nome begins bail-out. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 14, 1974. Author(s): Howard Weaver. Page(s): 1, 2. /
- More than 350 meals were served on 11/12 in the emergency center. About 60 people forced from their houses slept on wresting mats on the gym floor.
- Nome had had unseasonably warm weather, but became on the brink as the temperature started to dip into the 20Fs.
- Small-scale looting occurred on 11/12. About $500 was stolen from coin-operated machines at a bar and liquor was taken from another bar.
- About half the town had electricity now.
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Second storm misses Nome; waters recede. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 13, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- A second storm was more southeastern than expected, so the storm missed Nome and hit the southwest coast at Bristol Bay.
- Governor William A. Egan called the storm on 11/11 and 1/12 a “full-scale disaster,” and declared the storm a disaster. He called on President Ford for federal assistance.
- Nome was without adequate power, food, and potable water. Immediate assistance was also needed because of freezing temperatures.
- Nome and some other communities were without adequate food, drinking water, and power.
- The NWS said that waters were receding in Nome on 11/13, but some parts that were under 5ft of water were still recovering.
- Unalakleet and Shishmaref were heavily damaged by flood waters on 11/12.
- At least 100 people were evacuated from their houses in Nome and shelters were set up at schools.
- The NWS predicted widespread coastal flooding would continue the night of 11/13, and water levels would recede as winds decrease.
- Alaska Airlines and Wien Air Alaska’s regular flights into Nome were delayed, but once they could, they would deliver equipment and provisions.
- Airport taxiways were under 2ft of water but the runway, which accommodates jet traffic, was spared.
- In Unalakleet, the NWS and FAA stations were damaged, 10 houses were flooded, the runway was under 6ft of water, the community center was destroyed, and the village’s main road was under 4ft of water.
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Residents of Nome tidy up following winds and waves. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 14, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- President Ford declared parts of the Seward Peninsula a federal disaster on 11/14, which made federal aid available.
- Rep. Don Young of Alaska said the declaration will allow immediate repair work and flood cleanup.
- Still not deaths or serious injuries were reported.
Nome Area Is Declared ‘Disaster’. Anchorage Daily Times (AK)- November 14, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- Because President Ford signed the emergency declaration, assistance in the forms of temporary housing, disaster unemployment money, repair of streets, roads, bridges, public facilities and utilities will be provided.
- Low interest disaster loans will be made available to homeowners and businessmen.
Nome disaster termed worse than 1964 earthquake. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 16, 1974. Author(s): Pam Millsap, Daily News Staff Writer. Page(s): 2. /
- Officials said the storm was worse than the 1964 Anchorage Earthquake and the 1967 Fairbanks flood, in terms of human suffering and inconvenience.
- King Island was completely destroyed and all 80 families in the village lost their homes.
- An estimated $12M in damage alone in Nome.
Storm damage hit most communities. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 16, 1974. Author(s): Howard Weaver, Daily News Staff Writer. Page(s): 2. /
- In Tin City, four buildings were damaged. Damage to their 10,000-gallon fuel storage tank was also reported.
- In Elim, 11 boats were reported missing. Gasoline drums were also washed away by the tides.
- In St. Michel, a fuel plant was destroyed.
- In Nook, a summer fishing camp 20mi south of Nome was completely destroyed.
- In Shaktoolik, boat damage and losses totaled $20K.
- In Wales, moderate damage from water and storm-carried debris was reported.
- In Unalakleet, extensive damage to all shoreline facilities was reported. Homes were also destroyed.
- In Teller, there was extensive damage to homes and structures.
- The villages of Hooper Bay, Deering, Spencer, Port Clarence, and Savoogna did not have any major damage.
Relief center opens in Nome. Anchorage Daily Times (AK)- November 16, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- On 11/15, four electrical generators, clothing, and other emergency supplies were flown into Teller, the hardest hit village. 30 of the 45 families had to be evacuated from their homes to a nearby church.
- Flood waters mixed with oil are saturating homes.
- A few villages that were heavily damaged: Shishmaref, Unalakleet, and St. Michel.
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Dogs, Rats Trouble Nome Area. Anchorage Daily Times (AK)- November 19, 1974. Pages(s): 1, 2. /
- Schools in Nome reopened on 11/18.
- Power was restored to the downtown business area in Nome on 11/17.
- The Red Cross reports 27 homes destroyed in Nome and Teller and 43 others with major damage. 250 people in the two towns are now living with neighbors or relatives, and six are still in emergency shelters.
- Nome’s sewer treatment plant was still out of order as of 11/18.
- King Island is still without power.
- Pumps, heaters, cots, and blankets were airlifted to Teller.
- Nome regained power only 24hrs after the storm abated on 11/12.
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Nome folks shudder as gallons of liquor poured onto streets. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 21, 1974. Page(s): 2. /
- Beer, wine, and hard liquor were ordered dumped under a federal law that mandates destruction of all alcoholic beverages touched by flood waters.
- The flood caused approximately $15M in damages.
Nome digging out of mess. The Nome Nugget (AK)- November 22, 1974. Page(s): 1, 12. /
- Property and other loses may total around $30M.
- The city’s sewage disposal plant was out of commission and residents were warned to boil drinking water.
- Governor Egan visited Nome on 11/14 to assess the damage.
- There were 10ft tall waves with the storm on 11/12.
- A 16mi stretch of road between Nome and Solomon was washed out and needed to be rebuilt. The estimated cost for this was $7M.
- The storm caused $9M in public sector damages and $7M in private sector damages.
- If it weren’t for the seawalls, the damage and flooding would have been much worse.
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Red Cross Does Bang-Up Job. The Nome Nugget (AK)- November 22, 1974. Page(s): 13. /
- Red Cross assistance to victims had topped $70,000 for the residents of Nome, Teller, Wales, Unalakleet, and other villages.
- 44 families incurred almost total loss during the storm, left with only the clothes on their backs.
Family Rides Out Storm in Nome’s King Island. The Nome Nugget (AK)- November 22, 1974. Page(s): 16. /
- On 11/14, the first relief plane in carries 3,500lbs of C rations, 200 collapsible water containers, and 200 sanitation processing kits. The second plane carried 385 gallons of kerosene, 20 portable space heaters, and a variety of radio communications equipment.
- Teller was the hardest hit village by the storm.
King Islanders to get new homes soon. The Nome Nugget (AK)- December 6, 1974. Page(s): 1. /
- Virtually every home in King Island was destroyed by the storm.
- 20 to 30 new homes will be provided, a project that will cost about $1.2M.
Disaster Victims Receiving Aid. The Tundra Times (AK)- December 18. Page(s): 5. /
- The Red Cross reported assistance to disaster victims has topped $90K. This assistance included: food, clothing, bedding, cooking and eating utensils, items of household furnishings, small emergency home repairs, emergency medical needs, and occupational supplies and equipment.
- The number of families to register for assistance is over 450.
[1]Seawater rips through Nome. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 12, 1974. Page: 1.
[2]NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS AR-23. NWS, Anchorage, June 1978.
[3]New storm appears headed for Nome. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 13, 1974. Author: Howard Weaver. Pages: 1, 2.
[4]Second storm misses Nome; waters recede. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 13, 1974. Page(s): 1.
[5]King Islanders to get new homes soon. The Nome Nugget (AK)- December 6, 1974. Page: 1.
[6]Nome folks shudder as gallons of liquor poured onto streets. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 21, 1974. Page(s): 2.
[7]Relief center opens in Nome. Anchorage Daily Times (AK)- November 16, 1974. Page(s): 1.
[8]Residents of Nome tidy up following winds and waves. Daily News-Miner (AK)- November 14, 1974. Page: 1.
[9]Storm damage hit most communities. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- November 16, 1974. Author: Howard Weaver, Daily News Staff Writer. Page: 2.