Trouble in Chicken

We have been following, to the best of our ability, a story about Chicken.  It seems that on July 11 and 12, massive rainstorms washed out significant parts of the road between Chicken and the turnoff to Eagle.  The washout resulted in one man going over a 200 foot embankment into a creek ( He was a border patrol agent on his way to the US crossing station and although they found his car, he still hasn't been found).  

The washout caused quite a few people to be stranded,  most of them with RV's. A road closure  affects a significant part of the highway between Dawson City and Tok.  There was an offer to air evac these people out but they all felt they had enough provisions to wait it out.  They wanted to stay with their vehicles. They have since gotten out.  

There is a cut off to Eagle, and this road is used primarily by the Princess Cruise Lines to pick up people who have come on the boat from Dawson City and take them on to Tok.  This is a major part of the Eagle economy.  About 140 people a day take this tour, and the Alaskan Natives who sell their wares in Eagle, plus tour guides, other stores etc. are without business.  Last year, they had two major floods during the Spring breakup and lost business then as well.  They have been desperately trying to rebuild.

The  highway between Dawson City and Tok has been reopened to limited usage, but the road to Eagle will be closed possibly for several months.  One woman commented that they can't get out of the Eagle area to do the shopping they do twice a year, and she doesn't know how they will make it through the winter.  Air shipments are 58 cents a pound, prohibitive for people who are making a subsistence living.  

We were worried on the 4th of July about the rain and hail we experienced, and decided to take that road early in order to avoid problems.  It is all loose grave and dirtl, and comes down sharply from the mountains, with the road carved out of the hillside, and a steep embankment on the other side.   What is happening there now makes a believer out of you.