We here in the state have been, and will continue following this closely. We feel for the folks in Nome. Without fuel oil the city will have to be abandoned. Unless they can get fuel hauled in by plane, think of the cost of that. Everyone will have to move to locations where they can have alternate heat source, wood. Without fuel oil what happens to their water treatment facility. The sewage treatement facility. And all the houses that use fuel oil.
Many of us have been talking about just such an emergency, as we push for a road to Nome. Or at least the railroad be extended to Nome. The last time the government built a highway was in 1972, the Parks highway to Anchorage. It is rediculious a state so large has no roads. We only have roads in the Southeastern corner of the main part of the state.
The Ice Road you say, that was built by private industry, and was restricted for many years to trucks supplying the North Slope. The Oil Companies got tired of maintaining it so they turned it over to the state. Now anybody can drive it, but why, it only goes to Prudhou Bay.