A year after the Merbok Storm: Impacts on Cemetery

Observation by Tom Wolforth

During the Merbok storm in 2022 coffins were washed out of the cemetery. Some were swept out to sea. Others were dropped 30 feet down to the beach, and smashing open. Others were left on the tundra topsoil. The subsequent winter, spring and summer were rough on that exposed landscape. The cliff continues to erode. Since last year more coffins have dropped and more are exposed on the overhanging tundra.

I am working with the State of Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and in concert with the members of the City of Saint Michael, the Native Village of Saint Michael (tribal government) and the Saint Michael Native Corporation to do the best we can to address this situation.

In addition to gathering remains from the beach and the overhanging tundra, I am removing coffins that are likely to be in danger as the erosion continues over the next winter and years. The erosion will continue until Mother Nature can stabilize that cliff face turning it into a gently sloping hillside (like it used to be before Merbok hit). While I will be using my archaeological skills in this endeavor, there will be no archaeological analysis. Instead, the goal is to retrieve and prepare for reburial elsewhere in the village. Reburial will take place at a later date by the community members.

LEO Says:

Thank you Tom for sharing your observation, and for this important work. Tom spent six weeks in St. Michael recovering remains from the 19th Century cemetary. Local workers assisted with the collection, documentation and management of the remains. A report of this reponse work is being prepared. Erosion is threatening grave sites and cemeteries in many parts of Alaska, as evident by the LEO Network posts from communities including: Wales, Teller, Shishmaref, Golovin, Noatak, Brevig Mission and St. Michael. This is due to factors such as thawing ground, reduced sea ice, increased impacts from ocean waves, warming temperatures, and storm effects. In some cases, graves are located just feet away from eroding bluffs, and relocation will soon be necessary. The State of Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services has issued guidance on handling human remains from these sites, and communities are advised to seek guidance from communities that have experience with grave relocation. However, finding funding to respond to threatened and distrubed cemetaries is challenging. Outside of a declared disaster, there are no designated funds to help communities with cemetary management or relocation. Some examples of grave site management is provided in the attached LEO Posts. Mike Brubaker and Lars Flora

Comment by Native Village of St. Michael, Environmental Department:

"September 17th was one year since Merbok storm causing erosion to the cemetery, and it is still continuing to erode today dropping more and more which made Tom Wolforth to come back and address a request from the citizens here for support and relief for observed bones and coffins eroding from the Old Russian Cemetery from the storm Merbok also unfinished process. The coast is actively falling into the beach bit by bit and sometimes large chunks everyday. Village leaders convened to discuss how to approach, handle, recover and rebury any remains that are present. Those remains have been wrapped to meet the wishes to our village and currently stored in the clinic morgue per our guidance. Then someone from village will rebury them with our convenience."