Governor expands disaster declaration for Southeast Alaska to include relief for individuals

A neighborhood near downtown Haines flooded Wednesday morning, Dec. 2, 2020. (Henry Leasia/KHNS)
A neighborhood near downtown Haines flooded Wednesday morning, Dec. 2, 2020. (Henry Leasia/KHNS)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster after a severe December storm swept through Southeast Alaska. It authorized the state to pay for emergency services and critical infrastructure repair. Now, he’s expanded the declaration to include relief for individuals whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Last month, heavy rainfall caused destructive landslides, mudslides and flooding in communities throughout Southeast Alaska. Several homes were destroyed and two residents were killed in Haines.

Jeremy Zidek is a spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He said the state responded by authorizing funding for emergency protective measures.

“Some of those emergency protective measures could be transportation of people out of a disaster area or housing them, or perhaps repairing a road temporarily to gain access to an area that was cut off by the disaster event,” Zidek said.

In the wake of the disaster, state officials collected data from homeowners about the extent of the damage.

On Dec. 29, the governor amended the disaster declaration to include assistance for individuals and families who suffered damages and expenses related to the storm. Zidek said the funding is provided in grants.

“If a home was flooded it may be able to help repair those damages,” he said. “There’s other needs assistance so if people lost all of their personal possessions, their transportation, or if they had medical, funeral or dental expenses related to the disaster, those may be eligible as well.”

The assistance also includes a temporary housing program to help displaced residents find accommodation and pay for it. It will be available for up to 18 months for homeowners and three months for renters.

Registration for the state’s disaster assistance for individuals began on Monday. It’s available for residents of Haines, Skagway, Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Ketchikan, Annette Island and Chatham.  Zidek said residents will need to catalogue their property damage before applying.

“When they register, we want them to have a description of their damages or losses, home ownership documents, insurance information, personal identification and proof of occupancy, something like a utility bill,” Zidek said.

The application can be amended in the future if more damages are revealed.

The state is seeking disaster assistance from the federal government as well. Zidek noted that some federal relief, such as a small business administration disaster home loan, may be able to provide more financial assistance to homeowners than the state.

State officials are still collecting information to apply for federal relief.

“As new assistance becomes available, it may change things a little bit,” Zidek said. “We just ask that people are patient, continue to work the process in order to facilitate their recovery.”

The deadline to register for individual disaster assistance is Feb. 26.

KHNS - Haines

KHNS is our partner station in Haines. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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