DOT still making repairs from quake

Frontiersman reporter

Department of Transportation crews are still working steadily to repair the Tok Cutoff after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that rattled the area one month ago.

Shannon McCarthy, spokeswoman for DOT's Northern Region office, said Monday crews would likely continue working on the project for the next couple of weeks. Sections of the road remain closed to travel during the night. McCarthy said crews dug into the areas most heavily affected by the earthquake first, and are now working on the smaller cracks and breaks.

"There were aftershocks that continued to open up cracks," McCarthy said. "The roadbed was really damaged."

The department is now going out to bid on a project to perform emergency repairs to the Richardson Highway, portions of which were also damaged during the earthquake. McCarthy said emergency repairs have already been made to the Northway Airport, a paved runway more than 5,000 feet long.

"That airport is heavily used by planes coming over from Canada," McCarthy said. DOT performed emergency improvements to the runway and reopened the airport Monday.

Some of the repairs, McCarthy said, have been completed with the help of $2 million issued by the Federal Highway Administration after Gov. Tony Knowles declared the area a disaster area.

McCarthy said more solid estimates of total costs for repair work should be available by the third week of December, but additional repairs will be needed in the future.

"These are emergency repairs only," McCarthy said.

Individuals and businesses affected by the Nov. 3 earthquake and aftershocks were served by the two Disaster Recovery Centers, opened by the Alaska Division of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Each center was open for four days, Sunday through today, at Mentasta Lake and Northway Community Halls.

FEMA inspectors were also on site to inspect structural damage to dwellings and other damage to personal property as a result of the earthquake and aftershocks that continued throughout the next seven days. The inspectors visited current disaster relief applications and checked the extent of damage to a home or building to determine that it's safe, secure and sanitary. In order for FEMA property assistance requests to be honored, Federal Coordinating Officer William Lokey said inspectors must verify the damage.

"You must apply for assistance before inspectors can view your damaged property," Lokey said. "It's also important that people apply if they suspect there may be damage, as the evidence may show up later."

The deadline for that assistance, Lokey said, is Jan. 17, 2003. Residents in the affected areas can apply by calling FEMA's toll-free registration number at 1-800-621-3362. The TTY number for the speech or hearing-impaired is 1-800-462-7585. Operators are available to take calls between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., seven days a week.

Lokey added that, when inspectors arrive, residents should be prepared to show proof of ownership and occupancy through copies of bills or other official documents. Residents should also be aware that there may be representatives of more than one agency inspecting property damage.

The temporary Disaster Recovery Centers were designed to provide more detailed program information to residents of Copper River and Alaska Gateway Regional Education Attendance Areas who had questions or concerns about their earthquake recovery applications.

Representatives of state and federal agencies were present, including loan officers from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Several low-interest loan programs, along with FEMA's disaster unemployment assistance programs, were available for residents affected by the earthquake. Mitigation counselors experienced in techniques to reduce earthquake-related damages were available to provide advice.

The remote centers may be closed, but disaster unemployment assistance is still available for people from the areas affected by the earthquake.

Bill Kramer, Assistant Director for Unemployment Insurance with the Department of Labor's Employment Security Division, said individuals who are not covered for regular unemployment benefits may qualify for disaster unemployment assistance benefits. Self-employed workers, he said, and others not covered by the state's unemployment insurance program, whose sources of income has been negatively affected by the earthquake, may qualify. Earthquake-impacted workers may receive weekly payments of up to $248, plus dependents'' allowance for up to 26 weeks.

Individuals from Boundary, Chicken, Chisana, Chitina, Copper Center, Chistochina, Dot Lake, Eagle, Gakona, Glennallen, Gulkana, Kenny Lake, Lakeview, McCarthy, Mentasta, Nabesna, Nelchina/Mendeltna, Northway, Paxson, Slana, Tanacross, Tazlina, Tetlin, Tok, Tolsona and Tonsina, whose income has been interrupted by the earthquake may find out more about how to apply for disaster unemployment assistance by calling 1-800-590-5941, or by going to www.labor.state.ak.us and clicking on the disaster unemployment assistance link. The last day to apply is Dec. 26.