Disaster relief agencies begin offering help to area residents to help them recover from fire damage
The Mukluk Fire destroyed 44 homes in Tok over the past week, according to updated figures from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. That’s up from earlier estimates of 20 or more residences and structures razed.
Officials with the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are in town through Wednesday to help residents begin the process of cleaning up their property and rebuilding.
Sam Harrell is lead information officer with the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team on the Mukluk Fire, the multi-agency organization that’s heading-up operations in Tok. Harrel says the fire has destroyed 44 homes since it sparked to life early last week. He says that’s a lot for a town with around 1,600 residents.
“ I mean, tragedy befell Tok,” he said. “It's the fire nobody wants to have start in a populated area – and with wind-driven, rapidly moving through neighborhoods. Not a good scenario. Forty-four primary residences. And Tok's a small town.”
Harrell said that figure doesn’t include the many other structures that were destroyed, like garages or storage sheds. And, he added, no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Cool, rainy weather over the past few days have helped firefighters. The Mukluk Fire is only 29% contained, but the incident management team has lifted lower-Level 1 READY and Level 2 SET alerts for some areas around town.
But the team left the highest alert Level 3 GO in place for areas north of the Alaska Highway between Sun Dog Trail and Fifth Street, as far north as Red Fox Drive.
“We really don't want the public in there, because there's a lot of fire-weakened trees,” Harrel said. “And right now the firefighters are in there working to mop up a 50-foot-wide perimeter around homes that survived the fire and eliminate, remove, take down these hazardous trees.”
Meanwhile, representatives of agencies and organizations that help disaster victims have set up shop at the Tok Visitor Center, at milepost 1341 Alaska Highway, through Wednesday. They include the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“ There's a lot of help here in Tok for people that have been impacted by the fire,” says Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division. “Both the folks that had their homes destroyed, but also homes that have been damaged, smoke damage and so on.”
Zidek says Tok residents became eligible for assistance last week, after Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster for the area.
“ There's a pretty robust effort happening out here in Tok to make sure that the people that have been impacted by the fire can get the government and non-government assistance that they need,” he said.
Residents have 60 days to apply for assistance through the program, through Oct. 19th.
Zidek said state officials plan to bring their counterparts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to take a look at the damage around Tok. And if it qualifies, the state will apply to FEMA for more funding.
