Surging Alaska rivers leave behind huge chunks of ice, damaged homes

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Ice jams in two Alaska rivers have unleashed major flooding over the weekend. The floods damaged homes and left huge chunks of ice as tall as 12 feet littered across communities in the state’s southwest and east. The Anchorage Daily News reports floodwaters on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers rose quickly Saturday before retreating Sunday. The flooding left widespread damage in communities like Circle and Crooked Creek. Homes that were lifted off foundations, hit by ice or inundated with water. A heightened risk of flooding this year had been predicted due to above-average snowpack and low temperatures into the spring.