A year after Typhoon Halong, western Alaskans can still get job, training and winterization help

Nearly a year after the remnants of Typhoon Halong struck western Alaska, people still recovering from the storms can get help finding work, training for a new job and getting their homes ready for winter.

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development keeps a resource page for people affected by the storms, last updated in August. It pulls together help from several state and federal agencies.

The storms hit last October with wind gusts over 100 mph, driving storm surges and flooding along Alaska's western, northern and southwestern coasts. About 1,400 people from 49 communities were evacuated to Bethel, and some were later moved to Anchorage because emergency housing there ran short, the U.S. Department of Labor said, citing the state's emergency management division.

In November, the federal Labor Department gave Alaska a $1 million disaster grant to help affected workers. The state says the money may pay for training and jobs in storm cleanup, training for a new career, moving for a new job, and related costs such as child care, housing and utilities. People affected by the storms can fill out a short contact form on the resource page to have job center staff reach out, call the Alaska Job Center Network at 877-724-2539 or visit any of the state's 13 job centers. Staff there also help with résumés, interviews and career planning.

The page lists several training programs. Alaska Works Partnership offers residential framing training in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The University of Alaska's Mining and Petroleum Training Service runs a skills laborer training camp aimed partly at storm-affected communities. The Don Young Alaska Job Corps Center in Palmer, which trains people 16 to 24, offers faster enrollment for those affected by natural disasters.

With winter coming, the page also points to household winterization and debris removal help from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Eligible households have to sign a right-of-entry form giving crews permission to work on their property. Questions go to the division's public assistance hotline at 907-428-7097.

FEMA is also offering transportation help. It may pay for round-trip airfare from where a family is temporarily living to meet with FEMA inspectors or for subsistence activities. To sign up, call 866-342-1699 between 8:30 am and 5 pm on weekdays. Yup'ik translation is available from 1 to 5 pm on Thursdays.

One benefit is no longer available. Disaster Unemployment Assistance, which paid weekly benefits to people who lost work because of the storms, stopped taking applications April 3.