Galena Officials Deal with Spoiled Meat after Flooding

Officials in Galena, Alaska, faced a unique concern after the remote village was hit by flooding and power outages -- that spoiled meat at residents' homes would start attracting bears.

The road to the community's dump is washed out, so officials have come up with a plan to fly the bad meat to the disposal site by helicopter.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports emergency responders in Galena are preparing a plan to collect meat that has been rotting in people's refrigerators and freezers since last week. That's when an ice jam backed Yukon River water into the community of nearly 500 people about 270 miles west of Fairbanks.

Many residents were evacuated from the town, and emergency responders have asked them to delay their return while they deal with flooded fuel tanks, gas fumes and other issues.