Eklutna committed $196,649 to Anchorage for Halong evacuee public safety

The Native Village of Eklutna has committed up to $196,649 to the Municipality of Anchorage for fire, police, and public safety services tied to Typhoon Halong evacuees displaced from Western Alaska. The Anchorage Assembly took up the resolution at first reading on June 9, with a vote scheduled June 23.

The money splits three ways: up to $120,969 to the Anchorage Fire Department for Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue operations, up to $50,681 to the Anchorage Police Department for general police operations, and up to $25,000 for public safety items — including a mobile camera that could be moved around downtown — in connection with Typhoon Halong evacuee response.

The funding flows through an Interim Intergovernmental Memorandum of Agreement between the Native Village of Eklutna, a federally recognized Tribe, and the Municipality. The MOA is a government-to-government arrangement covering services on restricted fee allotment land — federal trust land where state and municipal services typically require Tribal-federal coordination. A portion of the funds has already been received; the remainder depends on receipt of 2025 and 2026 donations under the interim agreement.

The structural context: Typhoon Halong caused significant displacement from Western Alaska coastal communities, with evacuees relocated to Anchorage. Federal disaster response operates through FEMA's Stafford Act framework when Presidentially declared, with state and tribal funding components running alongside it. The Eklutna donation is one funding stream supporting the Municipality's evacuee-related public safety load — not a substitute for federal disaster funding. AR No. 2026-155 was prepared by the Office of Management and Budget and submitted by the Assembly chair at the request of the mayor.