Roads

Unalaska gets state disaster declaration after winter storm damages roads, coastline

Sofia Stuart-Rasi

The four-day storm hit Unalaska on Dec. 26-29, bringing 100 mph gusts, elevated tides and a storm surge that swept the coastline. It damaged the airport’s runway and closed off Summer Bay Road for vehicles.

Public Works staff survey damage along Unalaska's Summer Bay Road after a December storm washed out sections of the road's shoulder.

Government

Summer Bay Road ‘not safe for travel,’ no reopening date set

Sofia Stuart-Rasi

Several sections of Unalaska's Summer Bay Road beyond the landfill remain closed to vehicles after significant storm damage in late December 2025. The city is working with the Ounalashka Corporation and the State of Alaska to pursue state disaster funding.

The city council had been in talks to lift a local ban on APVs since the fall, although it wasn’t the first time they’d approached the topic.

Government

City council overturns mayoral veto prohibiting all-purpose vehicles on Unalaska streets

Andy Lusk

Small, versatile vehicles like four-wheelers and side-by-sides are legal again on Unalaska’s public roads, after the Unalaska City Council overturned a mayoral veto keeping the all-purpose vehicles, or APVs, off the streets.