Valdez Rises

Book excerpt: On March 27, 1964, the largest earthquake ever to strikeNorth America devastated Alaska's coast. In Valdez, buildingscrumbled, roads cracked open, and the entire waterfrontcollapsed into the ocean. Within days of the quake, officialsdecided they could not rebuild Valdez in situ-the site wasunstable. Instead, the entire town would move.The Valdez City Council rallied the town, oversawthe buy-out of Old Town homes, assigned new town lots,and coordinated with a sea of federal and state agencies torebuild. The voices of residents enrich the story and revealthe community's tenacity and resilience.Today, communities across the globe face rising sea levels while others aredestroyed by an increasing number of severe natural disasters. These townsare being forced to relocate and rebuild. For these communities, the Valdezexperience offers a message of hope.