EMERGENCY RESPONSE & DISASTER RECOVERY
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KAWERAK RESPONSE
INFORMATION LINKS
COVID-19 FACT SHEETS
October 22 2024 Storm Individual/Family Assistance
If you have experienced damage to your primary or subsistence homes/cabins or equipment from the October 22 storm you can apply for recovery assistance from the State of Alaska. You can apply by calling the IA hotline at: 1-844-445-7131 Monday through Friday 9am – 4pm, or at: www.ready.alaska.gov/recovery/ia . The application period ends December 23rd 2024. If individuals are experiencing difficulty with the application process they can reach out to Kawerak’s Emergency Preparedness Specialist Kevin Knowlton, 907-434-0789.
FACT SHEET FROM STATE OF ALASKA
Contact: Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Individual Assistance
IA Hotline:1-844-445-7131
Online: Ready.Alaska.Gov
DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
When the Governor declares a disaster and authorizes Individual Assistance, Alaska’s Individual and Family Grant (IFG) Program and Temporary Housing Program (THP) provide timely assistance to individuals or families to meet disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs. Together, these programs provide essential support when other resources are unavailable or inadequate.
The Individual Assistance (IA) program works closely with disaster-affected communities to ensure applicants are aware of the available IA resources. Individuals apply with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS & EM) for 60 days following declaration of a disaster via:
• Online. 2024 October West Coast Storm online at www.ready.alaska.gov/recovery/IA Registration opens Oct 23, and ends December 23, 2024.
• A Disaster Assistance Center (DAC). For localized disasters, a temporary office (DAC) is sometimes opened to assist disaster victims to apply for all available federal, State, and volunteer agency disaster programs. A DAC is not always available.
• Telephone. An alternate registration option, the program establishes a toll-free number for applicants. To Register call 1-844-445-7131.
IA staff work closely with individuals on their eligibility applications and throughout the program to ensure the most assistance possible is given. Applicants are required to spend funds appropriately and to document expenditures.
INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY GRANT (IFG) PROGRAM
The current maximum grant to an individual or family is $21,250 for housing repair and an additional $21,250 for personal property damages per disaster when other resources are not adequate, including insurance and Small Business Association (SBA) or other loans. Assistance can include:
- Housing (primary residences only). Money to repair, replace, or rebuild; provide access; clean or make sanitary; remove debris relating to life- health- and safety-issues; protective against immediate threat.
- Personal property. Money to replace essential clothing; household items, furnishings or appliances; tools and employer-required specialized clothing; subsistence equipment or structures; repair, cleaning or sanitizing of personal property; or moving and storage to prevent or reduce further damage.
- Transportation. Money to ensure one primary vehicle remains in operation.
- Medical and Dental Expenses. Money to pay for disaster-related medical and dental care or equipment.
- Funeral Expenses. Money for funeral and burial/cremation expenses related to a disaster-related death.TEMPORARY HOUSING PROGRAM
The Temporary Housing Program provides timely assistance to individuals or families displaced from their primary residence as a result of the disaster. Assistance can include:
- Transient accommodations. Immediate short-term housing; may include shelters, families, and friends.
- Rent and eligible utilities. Initial rental assistance is 3 months for renters and 18 months for homeowners.
- Repair and replacement of the damaged primary residence in situations where restoring the essential living areas is less than providing other forms of temporary housing assistance.
Download: (https://kawerak.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SOA-Individual-Assistance-Fact-Sheet-2024-October-West-Coast-Storm44.pdf)
USDA Home Repair Grant
Did you not receive assistance from prior programs to fix home damages from Typhoon Merbok? OR – Did you not receive enough funding to adequately fix your home?
USDA can give grant funds to low income homeowners for up to $40,675.
Funds will be available until expended. They may be used to:
- Disaster related home repair expenses (including costs incurred prior to application)
- Site preparation
- The cost to transfer a manufactured home
To be eligible:
- Applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low-limits based on their household size and region.
Learn more about the program:
NEW! Changes to FEMA Assistance
Download the presentation:
https://kawerak.org/download/fema-ia-reform/?tmstv=1710978704
Resources for Communities
Please ensure you are working on your SCERP- Small Community Emergency Response Plan. Please download the toolkit: SCERP Toolkit
If you need more information or assistance on your SCERP for your community, please contact Kawerak’s Emergency Preparedness Specialist Kevin Knowlton at 907-443-4384 or email kknowlton@kawerak.org.
TYPHOON MERBOK COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS
Diomede: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-diomede/
Gambell: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-gambell/
Koyuk: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-koyuk/
Shaktoolik: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-shaktoolik/
St Michael: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-st-michael/
Stebbins: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-stebbins/
Teller: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-teller/
COVID-19 LATEST UPDATES
Kawerak Inc buildings are OPEN to public visitation. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Masks are optional.
COVID-19 Relief Programs
Tribal COVID-19 Relief Programs:
More on CARES Funding:
Governments have discretion to determine how to tailor assistance programs they establish in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, such a program should be structured in such a manner as will ensure that such assistance is determined to be necessary in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and otherwise satisfies the requirements of the CARES Act and other applicable law.
For example, a per capita payment to residents of a particular jurisdiction without an assessment of individual need would not be an appropriate use of payments from the Fund. Title V of the CARES Act does not require funds to be spent on members outside the reservation or geographic area served by the Tribal government. In fact, the assumption that Tribal governments would focus on people within their geographic areas was one of the reasons Treasury used the Indian Housing Block Grant data for making the population-based allocations, which is based on the population of a tribe’s formula area.
October 22 2024 Storm Individual/Family Assistance
If you have experienced damage to your primary or subsistence homes/cabins or equipment from the October 22 storm you can apply for recovery assistance from the State of Alaska. You can apply by calling the IA hotline at: 1-844-445-7131 Monday through Friday 9am – 4pm, or at: www.ready.alaska.gov/recovery/ia . The application period ends December 23rd 2024. If individuals are experiencing difficulty with the application process they can reach out to Kawerak’s Emergency Preparedness Specialist Kevin Knowlton, 907-434-0789.
FACT SHEET FROM STATE OF ALASKA
Contact: Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Individual Assistance
IA Hotline:1-844-445-7131
Online: Ready.Alaska.Gov
DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
When the Governor declares a disaster and authorizes Individual Assistance, Alaska’s Individual and Family Grant (IFG) Program and Temporary Housing Program (THP) provide timely assistance to individuals or families to meet disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs. Together, these programs provide essential support when other resources are unavailable or inadequate.
The Individual Assistance (IA) program works closely with disaster-affected communities to ensure applicants are aware of the available IA resources. Individuals apply with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS & EM) for 60 days following declaration of a disaster via:
• Online. 2024 October West Coast Storm online at www.ready.alaska.gov/recovery/IA Registration opens Oct 23, and ends December 23, 2024.
• A Disaster Assistance Center (DAC). For localized disasters, a temporary office (DAC) is sometimes opened to assist disaster victims to apply for all available federal, State, and volunteer agency disaster programs. A DAC is not always available.
• Telephone. An alternate registration option, the program establishes a toll-free number for applicants. To Register call 1-844-445-7131.
IA staff work closely with individuals on their eligibility applications and throughout the program to ensure the most assistance possible is given. Applicants are required to spend funds appropriately and to document expenditures.
INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY GRANT (IFG) PROGRAM
The current maximum grant to an individual or family is $21,250 for housing repair and an additional $21,250 for personal property damages per disaster when other resources are not adequate, including insurance and Small Business Association (SBA) or other loans. Assistance can include:
- Housing (primary residences only). Money to repair, replace, or rebuild; provide access; clean or make sanitary; remove debris relating to life- health- and safety-issues; protective against immediate threat.
- Personal property. Money to replace essential clothing; household items, furnishings or appliances; tools and employer-required specialized clothing; subsistence equipment or structures; repair, cleaning or sanitizing of personal property; or moving and storage to prevent or reduce further damage.
- Transportation. Money to ensure one primary vehicle remains in operation.
- Medical and Dental Expenses. Money to pay for disaster-related medical and dental care or equipment.
- Funeral Expenses. Money for funeral and burial/cremation expenses related to a disaster-related death.TEMPORARY HOUSING PROGRAM
The Temporary Housing Program provides timely assistance to individuals or families displaced from their primary residence as a result of the disaster. Assistance can include:
- Transient accommodations. Immediate short-term housing; may include shelters, families, and friends.
- Rent and eligible utilities. Initial rental assistance is 3 months for renters and 18 months for homeowners.
- Repair and replacement of the damaged primary residence in situations where restoring the essential living areas is less than providing other forms of temporary housing assistance.
Download: (https://kawerak.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SOA-Individual-Assistance-Fact-Sheet-2024-October-West-Coast-Storm44.pdf)
USDA Home Repair Grant
Did you not receive assistance from prior programs to fix home damages from Typhoon Merbok? OR – Did you not receive enough funding to adequately fix your home?
USDA can give grant funds to low income homeowners for up to $40,675.
Funds will be available until expended. They may be used to:
- Disaster related home repair expenses (including costs incurred prior to application)
- Site preparation
- The cost to transfer a manufactured home
To be eligible:
- Applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low-limits based on their household size and region.
Learn more about the program:
NEW! Changes to FEMA Assistance
Download the presentation:
https://kawerak.org/download/fema-ia-reform/?tmstv=1710978704
Resources for Communities
Please ensure you are working on your SCERP- Small Community Emergency Response Plan. Please download the toolkit: SCERP Toolkit
If you need more information or assistance on your SCERP for your community, please contact Kawerak’s Emergency Preparedness Specialist Kevin Knowlton at 907-443-4384 or email kknowlton@kawerak.org.
TYPHOON MERBOK COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS
Diomede: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-diomede/
Gambell: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-gambell/
Koyuk: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-koyuk/
Shaktoolik: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-shaktoolik/
St Michael: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-st-michael/
Stebbins: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-stebbins/
Teller: https://kawerak.org/download/storm-assessment-teller/
COVID-19 LATEST UPDATES
Kawerak Inc buildings are OPEN to public visitation. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Masks are optional.
COVID-19 Relief Programs
Tribal COVID-19 Relief Programs:
More on CARES Funding:
Governments have discretion to determine how to tailor assistance programs they establish in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, such a program should be structured in such a manner as will ensure that such assistance is determined to be necessary in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and otherwise satisfies the requirements of the CARES Act and other applicable law.
For example, a per capita payment to residents of a particular jurisdiction without an assessment of individual need would not be an appropriate use of payments from the Fund. Title V of the CARES Act does not require funds to be spent on members outside the reservation or geographic area served by the Tribal government. In fact, the assumption that Tribal governments would focus on people within their geographic areas was one of the reasons Treasury used the Indian Housing Block Grant data for making the population-based allocations, which is based on the population of a tribe’s formula area.