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Officials have identified more than 1,000 available hotel rooms and additional rental options alaskaThis is the largest city for hundreds of displaced people anchorage The remnants of a typhoon that devastated their villages earlier this month.
Anchorage Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson said at a news conference Tuesday that leaders are working to speed up moving people from the city’s two large shelters into more private housing, in line with the goals of a state-led task force formed to address housing needs for evacuees.
“The state will take the lead in moving individuals who have been evicted to housing options of their choice,” he said. “What we’re doing is identifying every possible resource to support that effort.”
More than 650 people were flown to Anchorage by military plane as part of a mass evacuation after the remnants of Typhoon Halong slammed into parts of western Alaska on October 11–12. The storm brought with it tremendous destruction – in some places, hurricane-force winds and destructive storm surge. It caused widespread devastation in the Yup’ik communities of Kipnuk and Quigilingok, which saw record high water levels.
About 338 people were staying in Anchorage shelters Monday night, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The shelters are at a sports and events center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus and a downtown convention hall. Windt Pearson said one lane was closed on the road near the convention hall, and a flashing light was being used to help draw attention to the increase in foot traffic in the area.
It’s possible more people could come to Anchorage as people continue to assess their housing situations and needs, he said.
State officials have acknowledged that it may not be possible for everyone to return home before winter arrives. Crews and supplies are being sent to communities to assist with debris cleanup and emergency home and critical infrastructure repairs. But the daylight hours are getting shorter and the temperatures are getting cooler. At one time the air temperature at the airport on Tuesday was 15 degrees. betelA regional hub and a launching-off point for relief supplies to storm-affected villages.
The affected communities are far from the main road system. Kipnuk and Quigilingok can be reached by air and – in the warmer months – by water. They have trails for snowmobile access to some other villages in the winter.
The state Department of Transportation was bringing emergency lighting and generators to airports in those two communities, department spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy said in an interview.
Tuesday’s news conference, called by Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, also included Alaska state Rep. Nellie Jimmie, who represents communities affected by Halong; Tribal Health and Relief Agency representatives; and Anchorage School District Superintendent, Jarrett Bryant.
More than 130 students displaced by the storm are enrolled in Anchorage schools, Bryant said.