Tok fire survivors have six weeks left to apply for state aid

People who lost homes in the Mukluk Fire have until Oct. 19 to apply for state disaster grants. The in-person help desk in Tok has closed. The fire is 29% contained and has not grown beyond its footprint since Aug. 27. Suppression repair south of Red Fox Drive is expected to finish Thursday.

The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management staffed a Disaster Assistance Center at the Tok Visitor Center, 1314 Alaska Highway, for three days, Aug. 24-26, with The Salvation Army and Alaska Power & Telephone. No further in-person session has been announced. Registration continues by hotline, 1-844-445-7131, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at Ready.Alaska.Gov.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster for the Alaska Gateway Regional Education Attendance Area on Aug. 18, opening a 60-day registration period. The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection has confirmed 50 single residences and 108 outbuildings destroyed in the fire, which started Aug. 17 and burned 7,335 acres. Evacuations lifted Aug. 29. Fire season in the Delta, Tok and Copper River protection areas runs through Sept. 14.

Applicants need proof of ownership, insurance information, identification and proof of occupancy. Aid cannot duplicate insurance payments. The Individual and Family Grant program pays up to $22,400 for housing repairs and $22,400 more for personal property. Temporary housing rental assistance runs up to 90 days for renters and 18 months for homeowners.

"And I understand that that is not going to replace your home, but that, that's the state assistance that the state can provide for your home," Jeremy Zedek, a public information officer with the homeland security division, told an Aug. 23 community meeting in Tok.

Kinross Manh Choh is offering a separate $2,500 payment to people who lost a primary residence. Applications are due Sept. 12, with eligibility verified at its Tok campus. State officials are coordinating with FEMA to assess whether the damage qualifies for federal funding. Residents on area roads should give firefighters, dump trucks and heavy equipment plenty of room and follow crew directions.