Pacific Northwest tribes awarded FEMA money for disaster recovery, future resilience
Communities in Alaska, Oregon and Washington will divide $43 million from federal programs
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced $43 million in post-disaster and mitigation funding for projects in the Pacific Northwest late last month.
Among the communities that will see local work funded are the Tununak Native Village and the Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Washington State. Funds are also going to projects in Anchorage and the Oregon cities of Astoria and Eugene.
Some of the money is intended to help regions recover from previous disasters like ex-Typhoon Halong in Alaska by supporting fixes to critical infrastructure, public building restoration, road repairs and reimbursements for costs incurred by post-disaster efforts to ensure public health and safety.
Another portion of the FEMA awards will go to hazard mitigation, including reimbursements for the costs of generators and emergency power during the 2024 Slide Ranch Fire in Yakima County, Washington.
Additionally, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program administered by FEMA is giving funds for proactive measures to protect against natural disasters. One of these projects is an effort to raise Alaska’s Chester Lake Dam 10 feet to benefit the nearby Native community of Annette Island Reserve. Raising the reservoir, FEMA stated in a press release, is meant to increase water storage capacity, reduce power limitations and mitigate concerns about potable water availability during drought conditions.
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