Staff from state and federal agencies were in Fairbanks this week to help connect people impacted by ex-Typhoon Halong with resources and recovery programs. That included officials with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who were working out of the Noel Wien Library Monday and Tuesday alongside representatives from Fairbanks Native Association.
“Our primary objective was to make sure we were helping assist all of the evacuees from Kipnuk that we were aware of here in Fairbanks,” said Faith Klida, an emergency management specialist II with the Alaska homeland security division.
Remnants of the typhoon struck Western Alaska in mid-October, devastating communities with widespread damage from flooding and strong winds. The storm displaced more than 1,600 people, with hundreds evacuating to Anchorage and Bethel. But some families also made their way to Fairbanks.
Klida said officials met with four households Monday and Tuesday, totaling 14 people who’d left their home community because of the storm. She said that’s the running estimate for the number of evacuees in the Fairbanks area.
“We had some uncertainty about exact numbers, but from what we’re tracking, we’re homing in on more confidence that that’s it,” she said.
Both the federal government and the State of Alaska issued disaster declarations after the storm. The deadline to apply for individual assistance through FEMA or for disaster loans through the SBA is Dec. 22. The deadline to apply for state individual assistance is Jan. 8.
Applications for the state and federal programs can be completed online or through call centers. Klida said she’d remain in Fairbanks through Wednesday to be available to meet at the library to offer in-person help, if needed.
According to the most recent update from the state on Nov. 25, there have been 1,796 applications for state individual assistance and 1,287 for FEMA individual assistance following the damage from Halong.