Operators of the Yukon Queen tour boat between Dawson City, Yukon, and Eagle, Alaska, are delaying the annual start of the summer tour season, as they help people in Eagle bounce back from a record spring flood.

Flooding on the Yukon River damaged many buildings in the small Alaskan community, located about 13 kilometres west of the Alaska-Yukon border, earlier this month.

The Yukon Queen was damaged when flood waters lifted it out of the river and deposited it inland, an official with Holland America told CBC News.

"There's some repairs to make so that it will operate safely, and the coast guard has to inspect it and provide a certificate of operation, so one of our challenges is really getting the correct parts," Holland America spokesman Erik Elevjord said in an interview Friday.

"As you can imagine, the important thing right now is to get food and blankets and supplies to have the town — really, the citizens — get back up on their feet. You know, fixing the engine is not the priority at the moment."

The catamaran's docks and operational facilities were also damaged by flooding, Elevjord said.

Every summer, Holland America takes tourists aboard the Yukon Queen on 164-kilometre sightseeing trips between Dawson City and Eagle.

Elevjord said that for now, the company is taking tourists by bus between Dawson City and Tok, Alaska.

As soon as it is safe and feasible, Holland America will bring tourists to Eagle again. That could happen as early as mid-June, Elevjord said.