Officials with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management announced a reduction of some state emergency response operations on Friday, and a transition from a response to a recovery phase following the Western Alaska storms as winter sets in.
Emergency personnel with the Alaska Organized Militia, the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Prevention and veteran-led volunteer organization Team Rubicon are ending their missions and departing the region this week. Their work for the season should be complete by Nov. 26, according to a division update.
“Some aspects of the recovery operation might look different, but the support for impacted individuals and communities will continue,” said Bryan Fisher, director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in a prepared statement.
He thanked the disaster crews for their service. “The work to get emergency repair personnel, supplies, and equipment to communities and repair homes has been nothing short of amazing,” he said.
The reduction in personnel was expected as winter weather and freezing temperatures set in, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson for the State Emergency Operations Center, which is coordinating state, federal, tribal and local partners in the storm disaster response effort.
“We knew when this disaster happened, back on October 8, that we didn’t have a lot of time before winter was going to set in,” Zidek said on Monday. “Here in Alaska, we have two seasons: we have winter and we have construction season. And the ability to work during the winter in these far flung areas that are experiencing below freezing temperatures is very challenging.”
“So we knew this time would come where we would have to kind of cease some of this emergency response work,” he added. “And really focus on supporting the people that couldn’t return home, and making a plan, longer term, to make repairs when conditions are more favorable.”
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will continue to work on critical infrastructure projects, Zidek said, as well as coordinate with local residents in impacted communities and regional partners like the Association of Village Council Presidents, the tribal coalition leading storm response efforts on the west coast, to continue work in villages as weather allows.
“A lot of work is still going to continue, particularly on infrastructure,” he said. “And there are going to be local crews that can take better advantage of weather windows, both within communities and out of Bethel. But for the most part, we’re going to focus on repairing critical infrastructure and providing services to people that have been displaced.”
The devastating October storms in Western Alaska prompted the largest emergency disaster response in state history. The remnants of Typhoon Halong killed one person, impacted more than 50 communities, destroyed over 200 homes, damaged thousands of structures, and displaced an estimated 1,600 residents across the state, according to local reporting from KYUK.
Zidek emphasized that communities were impacted at different degrees, and the coordinated response from a wide variety of federal, state, tribal and community organization partners will continue to support communities as needed.
Since the Trump administration approved a federal disaster declaration on Oct 22, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed $17.9 million in assistance, under its individual and household assistance programs, as of Sunday, an agency spokesperson, Alberto Pilot said by email on Monday.
Pilot said the federal agency has dispersed over $172,000 in housing assistance funds and $17.7 million in “other needs” assistance, which can include disaster unemployment assistance, legal services and crisis counseling. FEMA has also dispersed over $1 million to the state for “expedited public assistance,” he said.
The Dunleavy administration has requested a 100 percent cost share covered by FEMA for the storm disaster, but that request is “currently under review,” a FEMA spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Zidek noted that the state has paused its distribution of disaster assistance to allow FEMA disaster funds to be dispersed first. He said while the programs provide different kinds of support — for example, the state will cover funding repairs to subsistence fishing camps — the relief funding cannot be duplicated on the same projects, like for home repair work. If that occurs, the state will seek repayment from residents or disqualify them from future benefits, according to a division update.
Storm survivors are still encouraged to apply for state disaster assistance and FEMA disaster assistance to cover different costs as the recovery effort continues. Additional assistance is offered by the American Red Cross.
There are currently 600 storm evacuees staying in non-congregate shelters, like hotels, and the process of transitioning to longer term housing is ongoing, Zidek said.
“Our goal is to get as many people as possible into some type of temporary housing by Christmas,” he said. “It’s kind of a lofty goal. We might not be able to get everyone in there, but we want to move a large number of people in non-congregate shelters to something that will be more longer term and more comfortable.”
The Alaska National Guard will largely depart the region and return home by Tuesday, a spokesperson said, except for one UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter air crew stationed in Bethel, which will remain ready to respond at the request of state emergency officials.
As of Monday, the Alaska National Guard reported its service members have assisted 18 communities in the storm disaster relief effort in what officials say is the largest off-the-road-system mobilization in Alaska history.
National Guard service members evacuated 1,160 residents from the region and assisted with resupply efforts, delivering 350,000 pounds of cargo and supplies to coastal villages and logging 364 flight hours. They transported emergency personnel throughout the region, and service members also cleared miles of boardwalks, removed tons of debris, assessed almost 500 homes and secured or moved 94 caskets displaced by the storm.