Sea Wall

I was going to mention a little bit about the Sea Wall. The village of Shishmaref is slowly being swept into the sea. This has been an obvious process for the past 30 years or so, but the loss of land is finally beginning to have an impact. I’ve seen a couple old aerial pictures of Shish, showing the 300 yard or so from town to the sea. Currently the town is on the edge of the sea, and several houses have already been moved to dry ground. The old air strip is being washed away at the ocean going end, and is now used as solid land for placement of houses. A huge sea wall was built using granite from near Nome to soften the impact of the fall storms that pass through. This has had minimal impact, and the village has actually voted to relocate after more than 2000 years in this location. They have a 6 year plan to find a village site, and set up shop, but as of yet, there is no new site. The financial constraints are an entirely different matter. I have heard figures ranging from $10 million to $100 million for the move, and I have heard far more evidence in the $100 million range. These are funds from the state and or federal government which are currently non-existent. A conundrum, undoubtedly. Words cannot say more than pictures in this respect, and I believe the BBC article has some photos attached. Please peruse at you leisure.

My last night in Shishmaref, I received a message that Alma wanted me to return her call. Alma…I know that name…ah, yes, one of my patients…Herbie’s sister from Anchorage. I returned the call and received a lecture on how Shishmaref was not a healthy place. No one should have to live with honey buckets, and toilet rooms lacking ventilation. Fourteen year olds should not be drinking alcohol in a village that is legally “dry.” A local elder with a touch of the Alzheimer’s is being taken advantage of by her family, and should be at the nursing home in Nome. These issues and more needed to be discussed with myself and Dr. Daniel, as we were the closest thing to a public health officer in the region. I have no argument to make with these concerns, but whose place is it to police the health of an entire village. The doctor who comes twice a year can only do so much, and a village that is unwilling to take this task on itself won’t benefit from anyone’s interference. What to do.

Anyway, Alma wanted us to come over for dinner and discuss these issues about which she had very strong opinions. Have I talked about Alma yet? 5’3” and 250 pounds of laughing Inupiat elder with two canes and a life outside the village, but with continued strong ties. A phenomenal woman, boisterous and loud, and a huge heart for the future of a village that was far from the picture of optimal social health.

I promised a shorter serial. More on Alma and the social health of small villages tomorrow.