The incivility of Twitter users is legendary, but new lows were reached after the storm that hit Western Alaska this past weekend. Political critics of Gov. Mike Dunleavy pounced, asking why the governor had not had a federal disaster declaration in place already. Some even demanded the governor declare a state disaster, which he had already done on Saturday.
Dunleavy said on Monday, “As mentioned yesterday, I am requesting a Federal Disaster Declaration for the 2022 September storm currently impacting the west coast of Alaska. The damage assessment is now taking place with the State, local governments, regional entities, and FEMA.”
Some critics wanted to know why Puerto Rico already has a federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Fiona, but Alaska does not have a similar declaration. Some want to know why the Red Cross is on the ground and helping and, according to the critics’ storytelling, doing more than the government.
“I will be submitting a request for federal assistance as soon as we gather the necessary information. If approved, at least 75 percent of eligible disaster costs would be covered by FEMA, with the state picking up the tab for the rest,” Dunleavy said.
Still others in the media practiced the soft bigotry of low expectation by offering the presumption that the mainly brown-skinned Alaska Natives of Western Alaska were not aware of the storm before it arrived.
In fact, the Alaska Division of Homeland Security did outreach, which was also reported in the local media in advance of the storm.
Les Gara, the Democrat running for governor against Dunleavy, criticized the governor for not being at a debate with Gara, when the governor was at the command center in Bethel to work with agencies engaged in recovery efforts.
Earlier, Gara had criticized the governor for not doing enough in advance of the storm. But Gara also took time out of his busy not-helping-anyone schedule to raise money for his campaign in the middle of the storm:
Dunleavy, on the other hand, canceled his fundraiser scheduled for Monday so he could focus on the disaster.
The politicization of the attacks on the governor come during an election cycle for Dunleavy, but they are also attacks on local communities and their own emergency management responses, and are sideswipes at the state workforce in the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, who train continuously for disasters.
While the Twitter warriors went to their keyboards, the Coast Guard sent a C-130 Hercules to survey the damage and Coast Guard Sector Anchorage deployed to the region to assess port conditions and inspect fuel storage facilities.
Over the next several days, additional Coast Guard personnel will deploy throughout the region to expedite recovery of local marine transportation systems, allowing barges to access communities to provide fuel and supplies.
“Our top priorities are to ensure the safety of the public and our responders as well as protect the environment from any potential pollution incidents resulting from the storm,” said Capt. Leanne Lusk, commander, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.
Photo: A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrew flies over Golovin, Alaska, to assess damage to houses and facilities, Sept. 18, 2022. Coast Guard crews are responding to impacted communities following a historic storm, Typhoon Merbok, that hit Alaska’s western coast. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray.
