The governor has issued a disaster declaration for Wrangell after a windstorm took down power poles and disrupted services on Nov. 30, though it appears most of what the borough has requested is not eligible for state aid.
The borough estimated its total costs related to the storm at $1.06 million. Of that, $255,372 was for public works, utility and police overtime, contractors, equipment and damages to structures; and $807,500 would go toward “critical future needs,” such as several backup generators for the water treatment plant, community center gym, airport runway lights and a sewer pump station near the hospital, which was at risk of overflowing after losing power during the storm.
“Sewage is always a public safety issue, but a hospital is typically worse as there are commonly additional hazardous aspects with hospital sewage,” Public Works Director Tom Wetor said last Thursday. “Having a backup generator would mitigate this issue.”
The borough also requested funding for for a mobile light tower, radios and communication equipment.
However, the equipment items in the $807,500 request are “ineligible mitigation costs,” the governor wrote. That’s because the equipment needs aren’t an immediate result of the storm, Jeff Good, interim borough manager, said last Friday.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster on Dec. 23.
Wrangell “experienced a sudden exceptionally strong windstorm with wind gusts … that toppled power poles and trees, damaged homes and personal property, and caused widespread power, cellular telephone, and internet outages. ... It disrupted normal community functions, damaging utilities and other critical infrastructure,” Dunleavy said in the declaration.
The borough requested state financial assistance on Dec. 9, after it had tabulated repair costs from damage reports.
The $255,372 of response and repair costs is just a ballpark estimate, Good, said last Thursday. The borough has been working with Bryan Fisher, director at the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, on the disaster declaration.
Good heard back Thursday from the state that “we have to go through training on what counts as expenses and figure out what we’re authorized to ask for.” Training is set for Jan. 17.
Fisher said last Thursday, “In general, once a state disaster emergency is declared, our agency will set up a schedule for briefings and work products to facilitate the reimbursement of eligible disaster-caused damages to public facilities and infrastructure, and the costs to repair.”
Once an initial project worksheet is in place, the borough completes the repairs, documents all of the costs and contractor invoices, and submits that documentation to Homeland Security and Emergency Management with a request for reimbursement.
If engineering and design is involved, that may be eligible as well, Fisher said.
“We perform an internal audit of the project and reimbursement package, and then the money flows,” Fisher said.
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