Hundreds of Alaskan residents remain displaced in Anchorage hotels months after a powerful storm caused widespread damage and triggered a mass evacuation from Western Alaska. The story highlights the ongoing challenges faced by evacuees, including the search for missing persons, the cost of recovery, and the efforts to secure housing.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The last time Tristen “Buggy” Carl was in Kipnuk, his home — with 14 people inside — was lifted off the ground and slammed into another house. Today, instead of living in the village where he was raised, Carl lives in a hotel in midtown Anchorage.
“I’m actually more at ease today than months ago, way more at ease, and my stress has gotten down a lot lately,” Carl said this week standing outside with his dog Anck Su.brought record-breaking winds and flooding to Western Alaska. The storm damaged thousands of buildings, roads, boardwalks and other critical infrastructure. It prompted the state’s largest mass evacuation, sending most people to Bethel and Anchorage.and two men — Vernon Pavil, 71, and Chester Kashatok, 41 — were never found, with the active search for them being called off in October. Today, Carl and 472 other people from areas hit by the storm are still staying in Anchorage hotels, according to the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.“Here it’s a whole different lifestyle,” Carl said.The Red Cross of Alaska helped 2,505 people during the disaster response. The total estimated cost for the city of Anchorage is approximately $448,000, according to a spokesperson with the city. “The Municipality of Anchorage continues to work with the State of Alaska for full reimbursement of emergency response costs,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. According to a Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Daily Situation Report for last week, 216 evacuees have transitioned out of Anchorage hotels to apartments and 472 evacuees remain in Anchorage hotels. As of Monday afternoon, 2,109 applications for state Individual Assistance have been received and 1,794 households are registered with FEMA, according to Jeremy Zidek with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Just because of the sheer impact, particularly to those two communities, it’s unlikely that every survivor that was impacted by this disaster displaced from their home is going to be able to get back there this summer,” he said. The division initially set a goal of allowing village residents to return to their homes by November, which ultimately never happened. Alaska state lawmakers have been hesitant to tackle relocation since the former typhoon hit Alaska. Community meetings have shown how the process is expensive and takes decades — as Carl says as of now, he doesn’t want to return to Kipnuk and he’s enjoying what Anchorage has to offer. “It takes a while to heal emotionally and mentally,” Carl said. “My mother asked me if I wanted to go back. And I told her no, not at the moment.”An Anchorage security guard was shot while doing his job. Prosecutors say they can’t disprove self-defense.Man accused of arson after lighting multiple fires at Anchorage Lowe’s
Alaska Storm Evacuation Displacement Recovery
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