Galena is a town on the edge. The Yukon River continues to erode away its land, but not the community's resolve to rebuild.
The road to the city dump was being moved farther from the river Tuesday. It's a critical path to getting the town cleaned up after a devastating flood just four weeks ago.Washed out roads, like the one bridging the new and old parts of town, will eventually be repaired, but homes are harder to restore.
"It's something when you go through some disaster like this -- you think it's hard to get your arms around it to see where do we start and you just got to start somewhere and we did," said city manager Greg Moyer standing next to a washed out bridge.
Everything from flooring to furniture is being incinerated. Mud and mold has destroyed belongings and it keeps piling up. Victor Marshall, a man operating a large incinerator, says 71 loads have been burned so far. He says he's been working 12 hours a day.
Remains of splintered homes are incinerated two and a half yards at a time. With 90% of the homes damaged, there's a lot of work to be done."You've got to just laugh it off or else you're not going to survive," Marshall said.
A federal disaster declaration has been signed for Galena and several other areas affected by spring flooding. Federal coordinating officer Dolph Diemond said the damage here is contained, but has elements of a large disaster.
"I see it so far as a microcosm of the worst disasters that can happen," said Diemond.
Everyone needing financial help, including those who have applied for state assistance, must now apply for federal aid. They are urged to do it soon.
"So we got the full package and we should be able to leverage quite a bit of our resources to help the communities that were impacted recover," Diemond said.
Grants and low-interest loans are available for businesses, home owners and renters, but only if they apply.
For now though, the community works to remove numerous hazards. It's still unsafe for children, leaving places like the normally noisy city pool quiet except for cleanup crews.
For the people who have returned, a clinic is available at all hours to mend physical and emotional wounds. Debra Reed, a Community Health Practitioner says a lot of people come in with medical problems, but a lot of them just need to talk.
"It's very stressful to lose your house. Families are displaced, there aren't children allowed in the dorms, so people are here working but their kids are not here," Reed said.
The work towards rebuilding progresses day after day, but many are left wondering if the character of the town will return as so much is hauled away.
Contact Dan Carpenter