In rural Alaska, villagers suffer in near silence (crisis his Mainstream news!)

[n2doc]

Bush residents struggle to balance the need for food with the need for fuel -- the building blocks of survival in a frigid winter that has months to go. Some call for massive airlifts of aid.
By Kim Murphy
January 25, 2009
Reporting from Tuluksak, Alaska -- As the temperature plunged to minus-40 degrees last month, Nastasia Wassilie waited.

The 61-year-old widow had run out of wood and fuel oil, and had no money to buy more. Nor was there much food in the house. But people here in rural Alaska try to take care of themselves. Her sister would come to help. Surely she would.

Nearly three days later, when neighbors learned of Wassilie's plight, the Tribal Council put out a call on the VHF radio that is the lifeline for most of the far-flung Yupik Eskimo villages along this remote stretch of the Kuskokwim River.

People who had enough gas for their snowmobiles immediately set off across miles of tundra, hauling firewood back to Wassilie's small house. A few offered helpings of dry fish, which most families keep in the larder for winter.

There was little more they could do. Nearly every one of Tuluksak's roughly 500 residents is performing a perilous balancing act between food and fuel -- the building blocks of survival in a frigid winter that still has months to go.

more:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rural-alaska25-2009jan25,0,6182382.story

so-called governor Palin, pay attention to your people or resign.

[ikojo]

1. Palin DOES pay attention to her people

WHITE Christian people.

[xchrom]

2. good job palin!

your failure exceeds expectations!

[madfloridian]

3. This needs a kick.

:kick:

Very sad.