On Wednesday, Emmonak City Manager Martin Moore asked the Alaska Legislature for emergency funding after a fire destroyed five commercial fishing buildings last month and prompted the City of Emmonak to declare a disaster.
If Emmonak is granted or loaned the requested $750,000, Moore said the city will rebuild critical infrastructure before the upcoming fishing season.
As commercial fishing is the primary source of income and employment in the Kusilvak Census District, Moore said Emmonak needs to rebuild soon — before people around the Yukon Delta miss out on their main economic opportunity.
“It’s a big region. It has over 9,000 people, it has over 2,000 family units, and they depend on this fishery to move on forward. We don’t want to lose the market,” he said. “The people in this area have no hope. The hope is built by people looking forward to getting something in the next fishing season.”
Beyond rebuilding the burned structures, owned by the Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association, Moore said the emergency aid would help the City of Emmonak purchase a new, 1,000-gallon fire truck and build a water line booster station.
The truck would replace the city’s current, used vehicle, which was too small to fight last month’s fire. Meanwhile, the booster station would house heat and circulation pumps to prevent water lines from freezing. Moore said the lines were frozen during the fire, so first responders could not access enough water.
“The lines that are 800 feet long are destined to freeze, and they freeze every year,” he said.
With lawmakers working to balance the state budget, Moore said he knows it’s a tough time to request funding. While he hopes the state can provide some aid, he said the City of Emmonak has also asked Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to help the community pursue federal assistance. The city itself is donating $150,000 to the CDQ fishery in free or low-cost land, water and equipment.
