The State of Alaska will temporarily open three Kenai Peninsula Borough assistance centers in Anchor Point, Seward and Soldotna next week, following Gov. Sean Parnell’s declaration of a disaster due to heavy flooding in Southcentral Alaska over the last several weeks.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says the centers will both provide information and help visitors use available state disaster-relief programs.
Under the state’s Individual and Family Grant program, individuals and families can receive up to $15,700 when other resources, including insurance and loans, are inadequate to meet a variety of disaster-related needs. Repairing or replacing a primary residence or vehicle as well as essential personal property are all covered, as are disaster-related medical and funeral expenses.
In addition, people displaced by the disaster can seek aid from the Temporary Housing program, which provides aid ranging from short-term housing to repair of damaged primary residences where doing so is cheaper than other forms of assistance.
The Anchor Point center will be at the local fire station, at 72440 Milo Fritz Rd., on Oct. 15 and 16. The Seward center will be at 412 Washington St. from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, while the Soldotna center will be at the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Emergency Response Center at 253 Wilson Lane on Oct. 18. All three centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on their days of operation.
Anyone who can’t make it to one of the centers can call the state’s Individual Assistance Hotline at 1-855-445-7131 to request assistance by phone. Whether applying in person or not, people should have their personal identification, insurance information and home-ownership documentation on hand, in addition to a description of damages and losses.
The deadline to apply for individual assistance in response to the disaster is Nov. 20.
A full description of state assistance available is as follows:
INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY GRANT (IFG) PROGRAM
The current maximum grant to an individual or family is $15,700 per disaster when other resources are not adequate, including insurance and Small Business Administration (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; protect against immediate threat.
• Personal property. Money to replace essential clothing; household items, furnishings or appliances; tools and employer-required specialized clothing; subsistence equipment; repair, cleaning or sanitizing of personal property; or moving and storage to prevent or reduce further damage.
• Transportation. Money to repair or replace an individual’s or family’s primary vehicle.
• 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 without alternate housing whose primary residence is not habitable 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 30 days for renters and 3 months for home owners. Additional assistance may continue as part of a permanent housing plan.
• Housing in a temporary housing unit when rentals and repairs are not practical.
• Repair of the damaged primary residence in situations where restoring the essential living areas is less than providing other forms of temporary housing assistance.
Contact Chris Klint
