Grocery store shelves “are quickly becoming bare.”_________________

Early arrival of sea ice

Authorities in Canada’s Arctic north are scrambling to transport critical supplies to three communities – Paulatuk, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay – after the early arrival of sea ice prevented delivery barges from reaching the region.

The three isolated communities, with a combined population of nearly 3,000, have been unable to receive shipments of food, fuel and lumber after ice sealed off the Amundsen Gulf.

The government plans to airlift nearly 600,000 litres of diesel fuel to ensure sufficient reserves to weather the bitterly cold winter. The operation is expected to involve 50 to 60 flights.

“This is absolute ridiculous,” said Joh Holland, a municipal representative from Paulatuk. “We’ve got people waiting for food. We’ve got hunters waiting for vehicles.”

https://www.iceagenow.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CCGS-icebreaker-and-flagship-Louis-S-St-Laurent-150x102.png 150w, https://www.iceagenow.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CCGS-icebreak... 309w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" width="260" height="178" />Ice so extreme even the icebreaker couldn’t get through

The ice has been described by officials as “extreme.” Even the Canadian coast guard’s largest icebreaker in the region – the Louis St Laurent – was unable to help break open a channel for the barges.

In Paulatuk, the shelves of the grocery store are quickly becoming bare as nonperishable items like flour quickly disappear.

See entire article:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/05/canada-paulatuk-kuglu...

Thanks to H.B. Schmidt for this link