Palin seeks federal aid for flood-stricken communities

From KTUU.com

Palin seeks federal aid for flood-stricken communities
by Jason Moore
Monday, May 25, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin asked for federal disaster aid on Monday to help villages recover from this spring's flooding.

The governor's office says Palin sent a letter to the federal government requesting a disaster declaration.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent preliminary teams into Yukon and Kuskokwim river villages last week.

The worst of the flooding is now hitting Emmonak near the mouth of the Yukon River where roads are underwater and some homes have water in them.

"It probably dropped two foot already, but it was so high that everything is still -- the houses are still surrounded by water, the roads are still covered by water," Jack Schultheis with Kwikpak Fisheries said via phone. "It's still from the air it's basically everything's just surrounded by water."

The runway in the village is still above water, but the road to the airport is completely flooded so the airport has now been closed.