There is no electricity in Newtok and the water plant is no longer operating. It’s one of the last steps to completing a full relocation of nearly 400 people 9 miles across the Ningliq River to a new subdivision known as Mertarvik.
For decades, the permafrost underlying Newtok has been deteriorating. Severe coastal erosion has swallowed hundreds of feet of land in recent years. Nearly half a dozen homes and half of Newtok’s public school have been demolished as a result.
In August, the Newtok Village Council voted unanimously to shut down all critical infrastructure in Newtok after everyone who chose to do so had moved.
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While Newtok’s relocation has been underway for more than 30 years, it is still far from complete. There’s still a severe housing shortage in Mertarvik. Eighteen families will spend this winter in temporary tiny homes that were shipped by barge from Port MacKenzie near Wasilla in September. There’s currently no clear plan to build more permanent housing during next summer’s construction season.
Elsewhere in Mertarvik, the local clinic is operating out of a temporary building. A new public school is also under construction, but is not slated to open until 2026. One of the community’s two local stores has also moved to Mertarvik, but it’s not yet stocked with groceries and there is no machine for payments by card.
For now, phone and internet provider GCI has opted to run its cell phone tower on a generator back in Newtok, and it’s unclear how that will impact phone service in Mertarvik.
A handful of residents remain in Newtok to finish packing their belongings. The Newtok Village Council said earlier this summer that those residents will need to find their own sources of water, power, and heat if they choose to stay.
