Aid is rushed to western Alaska villages hit by storm; Food supply for winter destroyed in many communities

Aid is being rushed to coastal communities across western Alaska heavily damaged by remnants of Typoon Merbok, the strongest storm to hit Alaska in 70 years causing flooding and damage across 1,100 miles of coastline.

It also hit at a bad time of year, when mostly Alaska Native communities are preparing for winter. The community of Golovin, on Norton Sound east of Nome, was particularly hard hit, and many homes there are basically unlivable.

President Joe Biden quickly approved a request from state officials for a federal disaster declaration. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is making funds available in four Regional Education Attendance Areas: Bering Strait; Kashunamuit; Lower Kuskokwim and Lower Yukon. Grants are available for temporary housing, building repairs and low-interest loans to cover property losses.

Federal funding is also available to municipalities, tribal groups and the state on a cost-share basis for relief in the four designated REAA areas as well as statewide for hazard mitigation, according to a statement from FEMA.

The disaster brought a 12 hour to 24 hour storm surge along 1,100 miles of western Alaska coast from Scammon Bay on the Bering Sea coast south of Norton Sound to Cape Lisburne, northwest of Kotzebue, with storm surges 10 feet above high water along Norton Sound coast and a meaured 8.99-foot surge in Nome, the largest community in the region. Wind gusts reached 92 miles per hour and sea waves were at 52 feet.

“The storm caused substantial damage to both public infrastructure and private residences. Current costs estimates for this disaster are not known at this time, but there are several damaged facilities, seawalls and other infrastructure,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a letter to Sensrr President Peter Miccihe and House Speaker Louise Stutes.

“For comparison purposes, the preliminary damage assessment for the 2011 West Coast storm, also declared a federal disaster, found almost $8.5 million in public assistance costs and $21.5 million in road damage eligible for U.S. Federal Highway Assistance funding. The current storm has the potential to exceed those costs,” the governor said.

State officials mobilized over 120 response workers and are using military aircraft to reach the affected communities, most of them in outlying areas. The state is tapping the $46.4 million Disaster Relief Fund that appears sufficient to pay immediate response costs, so no emergency supplememtal appropriation is needed for now, Dunleavy told the legislative leaders. Under the federal disaster declaration the state will be reimbursed for costs.

In terms of immediate actions, as winds died down state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, or DOTPF workers in the region began removing debris, repairing airport lighting systems and inspecting the hardest-hit roads. Parts of the Nome-Council road were washed out, DOTPF said.

There was no damage at the Port of Nome, but engineers are assessing potential damage to the Nome Seawall and the Bank Protection projects at Shishmaref, on the north side of the Seward Penisula. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is also evaluating storm impacts on community water systems. The U.S. Coast Guard also said the storm has not affected the ability of small villages to receive fuel shipments.

More than 150 service members from the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia and the Alaska State Defense Force were deployed to Western Alaska, with more than 20 of those are from communities in Western Alaska. The Alaska National Guard was activated the day after the State Disaster Declaration was issued.

Service members were deployed with enough equipment and supplies to not burden the communities. They have already assisted eight communities. In addition, they removed 40,000 pounds of debris. Alaska Army National Guard helicopters have also flown more than 3,000 miles and logged flight hours moving personnel and supplies across the affected region.

The governor’s state disaster declaration activates Alaska’s Individual Assistance (IA) program, which can help individuals and families with damages and expenses related to the disaster. Residents of the Northwest Arctic Borough, Bering Strait Regional Education Attendance Area (REAA), Lower Yukon REAA, Lower Kuskokwim REAA, and the Kashunamiut REAA are eligible to apply for State Individual Assistance.

Note: Disaster survivors can register for the State Individual Assistance program by visiting the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management webpage beginning September 26, 2022, at Ready.Alaska.Gov. Telephone registration opens September 28, 2022 at 1-855-445-7131.