Obama denies Newtok’s request for disaster declaration

The village of Newtok, seen from above in the summer of 2016. (Photo courtesy of Romy Cadiente)The village of Newtok, seen from above in the summer of 2016. (Photo: Romy Cadiente)President Barack Obama has turned down a request from the western Alaska village of Newtok for a disaster declaration.
Newtok applied for relief based on erosion and thawing permafrost that are expected to destroy the village within three years. It was a test of whether the nation’s disaster laws apply to slo