The downtown Egan Center is one of four shelters in Anchorage housing evacuees displaced by storms in western Alaska. (Bill Ross/ADN)
State and local officials are preparing four shelters in Anchorage that could house more than 1,000 people displaced by the unprecedented and catastrophic storm that left communities across western Alaska largely uninhabitable.
A total of 2,000 storm evacuees from Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages may eventually be evacuated to Anchorage, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said Thursday, as the city assists the state in its response to the outbreak. Officials said the gap will likely be filled by people staying with friends and family in the city or elsewhere, possibly in hotel rooms.
About 260 people from the storm-damaged communities of Kipnuk and Quigiringok arrived in Anchorage on a historic airlift from Bethel on Wednesday and are being housed in a large shelter at the Alaska Aviation Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage. They arrived with only a bag, some carrying only the clothes on their backs.
The city said another 400 evacuees were expected to arrive on Thursday.
A third wave of hundreds of evacuees could begin arriving on Friday, according to the city.
To house displaced families, the city and its partners, including the American Red Cross, the state Office of Emergency Management and the Alaska National Guard, are opening three additional emergency shelters to accommodate anticipated evacuations.
In addition to the Alaska Airlines Center, the shelters will be located downtown at the Eagan Center, Fairview and Spendnard Recreation Centers. Between the four, the city can temporarily accommodate about 1,400 people, according to city government information.
“We want to be a partner here and recognize the devastation and loss that people have suffered in western Alaska,” LaFrance said. “I ask all residents of Anchorage to open their arms to those who have been displaced.”
Hundreds of cribs were set up in the Alaska Airlines Center auxiliary gym on Wednesday in preparation for residents displaced by the storm in western Alaska. (Bill Ross/ADN)
Emergency management said people may be evacuated not only from the two hardest-hit communities but also from about 15 villages where homes were lifted off their foundations, crushed, moved miles by tides or contaminated by floodwaters. Some of the 2,000 potential evacuees believed to be heading to Anchorage may find places to stay with family or be able to rent private homes independently.
[‘How we’re going to live’: Western Alaska residents airlifted to Anchorage face uncertainty]
It's unclear how long the immediate need for shelter will last: LaFrance said she expects some evacuees will need to stay in Anchorage for the winter. The mayor said the city is working with state and tribal leaders to find hotel rooms and other temporary housing options.
LaFrance said she recognizes that housing in Anchorage is already limited, especially as winter approaches and homeless shelters prepare to increase capacity.
“Obviously the need is increasing with this disaster in western Alaska, and it's unclear how many people will be able to return to these communities or when or how they will be rebuilt,” she said. “At the same time, we are working closely with our partners to identify ways that we can help quickly scale up different types of housing.”
“We want to do everything we can to make sure people have what they need to heal, recover and rebuild and hopefully reconnect with their communities,” LaFrance said.
The Anchorage Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to help the city continue to provide support to the state's emergency response teams. Assembly members will consider temporarily expanding the definition of a civil emergency to include state or federally declared disasters.
Under Anchorage Code as it currently stands, civil emergencies generally apply to disasters occurring within the city. City spokesperson Emily Goodykoontz said if the mayor is able to declare a civil emergency, it would help the city get reimbursed for emergency-related expenses. Goodykoontz said it's too early to give a cost estimate.
'Everyone feels lost'
The storm and ongoing evacuations were a focus of discussion at the Alaska Federation of Natives' 59th annual convention, which kicked off Thursday in Anchorage.
Speakers shared messages of hope and resilience at the three-day event, one of the largest gatherings of Indigenous people in the world. They prayed for victims who had lost property or loved ones.
“As we convene this meeting today, our hearts go out to those affected by the severe weather,” said Ana Hoffman, co-chair of the Federation of First Nations and a resident of the hardest-hit region of southwest Alaska.
“Our devastation is a loss that is felt by all,” she said.
The organization will hold donation drives on Friday and Saturday to collect clothing, food, water, bedding and other items for the victims.
An overhead display above the conference floor promoted online fundraising events, with QR codes directing donors to the websites of the Alaska Community Foundation Fund and Amazon Wish List.
Earlier in the day, traditional dancers from Southeast Alaska performed a Haida blanket dance that raised more than $4,500 to help displaced families.
They played leather drums and spread traditional blankets on the stage to collect cash. Dozens of attendees lined up to donate.
Mary Ayonarak of Arakanook threw a $20 bill.
“I have to help,” she said.
Kevin Willard Flalanery sat in on Thursday at the Federation of Alaska Natives convention to perform a Haida blanket song with dancers from Heidelberg and Ketchikan to raise funds for former Typhoon Halong Bay flood victims. Dozens of attendees lined up to walk to the stage to donate. (Alex Demaban/ADN)
Theresa John of Toksook Bay prays in the Yupik language, the Alaska Native language of southwestern Alaska, during the convention's opening prayer.
Hoffman, a Yupik speaker, said she spoke of resilience and optimism.
“She talked about the rising waters and how, by the grace of the universe, the survival rates are high,” Hofmann said on a sideline of the meeting, explaining the Yupik prayer.
Conference delegates from western Alaska sang a hymn in the Yupik language, “Nanraumali Atanerput,” which means “Praise God,” and the lyrics pray to God for protection.
Alan Peter, from the village of Nunum'iqua in western Alaska, lowered his head and sobbed during the song. Others moved closer to comfort him.
Peter said Ella Mae Kashatok, Chester Kashatok, and Vernon Pavel were his cousins. Ella Mae Kashatok was found dead in Kwigillingok after the storm, and two others, also Kwigillingok residents, are still missing.
“I feel sad for my family,” he said in an interview, adding that it was difficult to say anything.
Nunam Iqua resident Alan Peter was comforted by attendees at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention on Thursday. (Alex Demaban/ADN)
“We are in this together”
Hoffman said Yukon-Kuskokwim Health, a large tribal health consortium in southwest Alaska, approved a resolution calling on President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency and join the Association of Village Council Presidents, another tribal entity in the territory.
Brian Fisher, the state's emergency management director, told the convention that the evacuation was the largest in Alaska's history. Some people whose homes were damaged won't be able to return home this year, he said.
[EPA defends canceling coastal erosion grant to hard-hit Kipnuk]
[Officials for years knew about flood risks in rural Alaska. The recent storm illustrated how little they have to show for it.]
Fisher said Gov. Mike Dunleavy has discussed with President Donald Trump about bringing in federal resources and agencies to help respond to the outbreak.
A state program would provide cash assistance for repair and reconstruction and help displaced families find temporary housing in their home communities or regions or elsewhere, he said.
“We are in this together and we will not leave your side during this entire tragic event,” Fisher said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.
Meanwhile, evacuees poured into Anchorage to start a new chapter in their lives.
On Thursday afternoon, Kipnuk tribal ranger Buggy Carl, who has posted frequent video updates throughout the storm and recovery, sent a dispatch report from inside the military aircraft that flew him and hundreds of others to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
He checked in again on the bus leaving the base and then again from what he described as “the new community of Kipnuk and Quijlingok” in the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage, noting family members in the background. Many Kipnuk residents have been in tears, he said.
“They're coming to terms with the reality that most people's homes have been destroyed.”