Life in Atka goes along steadily, day in and day out, without too much to distinguish one day from another. The details of that life might be a bit different from the stereotypical picture of small-town America, but the pace is similar: slow and easy.
Of course, just as anywhere else, bad things happen. Life is filled with disasters large and small. Up until now, the biggest disaster that has happened during my time in Atka was my own eye injury, and subsequent med-evac. Sadly, that is no longer true.
The local seafood processing plant, know as "the cannery," though it doesn't produce anything in cans, is open now for the fishing season. There are line workers in the plant itself, as well as fishermen going out to find, well, fish! There are dynamics at play that I don't totally understand, but apparently the village is not willing to allow the cannery to build housing that is suitable for people to move here with their families and settle down. The cannery, therefore, is staffed with men, mostly young, who work for the season (May to November, roughly) and then leave with a pocketful of cash. Young men who have nothing to entertain themselves with in their off hours. That sounds like a recipe for trouble.
Yesterday, at about 4:30, when they finished their shift at the cannery, 10 men climbed into a van. I don't know where they were going or why they were in a hurry on that gravel road, but the speed estimates I've heard ranged from 60 to 80 miles per hour. As they passed the post office, the driver's leg buckled, causing him to push down on the gas pedal. The van accelerated, hit the edge at the side of the road, and flipped 4 times. Everyone who wasn't wearing a seat belt was ejected from the van through a window.
One man died almost instantly. Another died soon after. A third man also died, but I don't know exactly when it happened. Three people were evacuated to Anchorage. The remaining four, the ones who were wearing seat belts, will end up in an ER in Anchorage for shoulder and back injuries, but I don't know if they're being airlifted or if they're on their own to arrange transportation.
The med-evac plane for the men who were severely injured arrived about 4 hours after the crash. They sent one plane for all three. I don't have a clue how dead bodies are transported off the island.
I spend my time on the periphery of Atka, not quite part of the community and yet affected by it. I'm an observer, but not an impartial one. I care about the people here, especially my students. I'm shocked and saddened by this horrific accident. I have no doubt that the community is shaken to its core. Death may be a constant companion in Atka, seen mostly among the hunters and fishermen, but human death is thankfully rare. When young, healthy people die so tragically and unnecessarily, you can't help but pause and wonder.
It took four hours for the plane to get here, and then another four hours to get to Anchorage. Would that 3rd death have happened if help had been closer? I don't know. We're so used to help arriving in minutes. It's hard to fathom waiting 8 hours to get to a hospital. The island does have an ambulance, and I'm sure it's well-equipped. There are various people trained in emergency first aid, as well as the community health aide who mans the clinic, but even an M.D. wouldn't have been of much use without the arsenal of equipment that even a small hospital has.
As you know, I recognized that I needed to leave Atka based on the behavior of the superintendent. In the end, though, it was the lack of health care on the island that decided me. I don't imagine myself being in an accident, but at my age, and given my state of health, things like stroke and heart attack are possibilities I have to acknowledge. And with my sense of balance, or lack thereof, a fall resulting in a serious injury is a constant worry.
I pray for those who were killed and injured in this crash. I pray for their families. And I pray for the community that has to live with the memory of this event, and the fear it generates, for the rest of their lives. May all find healing and comfort!
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