Help for struggling villages by government in sight?? (Fairbanks, Emmonak: income, living)

[Grannysroost]

Wonder how long this will take and if our gov will use her power to move it forward quickly...also a comment on the bottom mentions Veterans Aviation Outreach assist in flying goods if weather cooperates..

Our view: A small way to help: ADN Editorial | adn.com

[Crossfire600]

It was my understanding that this would eliminate the restrictions allowing state aide to get to the villages.

[Grannysroost]

This article is talking about using state transportation to transport nonprofit or private aid, in which the governor can declare an emergency to do that. There are privately donated supplies for the villages with no way to get there quickly....question is will she allow the state transportion to move these items the most efficient way to help these Alaskans?

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

This article is talking about using state transportation to transport nonprofit or private aid, in which the governor can declare an emergency to do that. There are privately donated supplies for the villages with no way to get there quickly....question is will she allow the state transportion to move these items the most efficient way to help these Alaskans?

According to what I read on the news, and heard on the radio, there are certain guidelines to be met first, before the governor can declare an emergency. Supposedly the legislature has to work on soften the restrictions of the "state of emergency," at which time the governor can legally declare an emergency. That was also reported on 970 AM radio in Fairbanks. I believe that the problem is not concentrated to a certain area, like the whole town, but sort of spread-out. In this case, the governor would have to call a state of emergency to the whole of rural Alaska. That's what it was said on the news. I is possible that the legislature will temporarily provide for food and fuel transportation to those areas instead of changing the rules.

[Siouxcia]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

This article is talking about using state transportation to transport nonprofit or private aid, in which the governor can declare an emergency to do that. There are privately donated supplies for the villages with no way to get there quickly....question is will she allow the state transportion to move these items the most efficient way to help these Alaskans?

Looks like the only cost to the state would be the transportation. Hope the decision making doesn't take longer than the expiration dates on the supplys donated.

[starlite9]

I have rather a dumb question about all this "Emergency Aid" to the villages.

I have a lot of friends that live in the villages both native and non native and when I ask them about all this, they just kind of chuckle and say the Govn't checks are still flowing into all the places and this is something that someone thought up to get free stuff.

Seems to me that if it was "Factual", it would be something that the National News media which slants a bit "Left" would use to slam Palin since they haven't missed too many opportunities, and yet they seem to be absent other than postings like the Bettles Lodge scam.

I would be interested in hearing what some of the locals think outside of the people I know.

Having said that, life in the villages has always been tough, but I don't see where it has gotten critical-er than what it has been in the past. Evert Air, Northern Air Cargo, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines and a host of others are still delivering freight to the towns, and all of them have donated air freight at one time or another when someone was in pearl. No disasters have hit (well the volcano hasn't blown anyway) that I know of.

So would be interested to hear what has changed since last year. Other than maybe the Stimulus Package is coming on line (good or bad) and everyone is lining up with a disaster...

If in fact there is an emergency needing assistance in these villages, why isn't their Native Corps on all the news media's screaming for aid, they have in the past when there were floodings, fires and the like

[MeganAK]

As an update, according to State guidelines, Palin can't declare a financial emergency until average income levels in the villages affected drop below $26,500. This is not dependent on the cost of living, it is a set amount.

My husband flies to most of the Western Alaska villages for work and has been to Emmonak, Kotliq, St. Mary's, and many of the Norton Sound villages. From what he could tell, most people in St. Mary's region, as well as Emmonak were doing fairly well- or at least well enough to still have their pack of smokes a day (at about $8.00/day) and a six-pack of beer a day. Now, that is a generalization from what he experienced, but he said that those villages seemed to be doing quite well compared to some of the villages farther North like Wales and Deering, but none of those villages are asking for help.

That is my main issue with all of this. This particular rural region is asking for help, but there are other villages that are in much worse shape that are silently suffering. How do you determine who has the greratest need without actually going out to those villages and seeing for yourself what is going on?

If one region is going to receive aid over another, who decides who needs it more? Is it the people who cry the loudest? Because sometimes it is the quiet ones that are struggling the most.

[Siouxcia]

Originally Posted by MeganAK

How do you determine who has the greratest need without actually going out to those villages and seeing for yourself what is going on?

It's easier to say they need help or don't need help than it is to go out and 'seeing for yourself'. Posters here have posted that someone told them there is no need. You husband sees the beer and cigarettes, does he have an observation regarding food and heat?

I don't and have never lived in those conditions and only have the Alaskan media and this forum providing the information on the conditions there. No one here has posted they themselves know it is true or it is not true. All the info is second hand. So the quetion is, should someone go out and verify people are starving and freezing or should they wait and see how this plays out come spring?

[Metlakatla]

FFS. They don't all drink and smoke.

That is my main issue with all of this. This particular rural region is asking for help, but there are other villages that are in much worse shape that are silently suffering. How do you determine who has the greratest need without actually going out to those villages and seeing for yourself what is going on?

How do you know that they are suffering in silence or at all?

So the quetion is, should someone go out and verify people are starving and freezing or should they wait and see how this plays out come spring?

Sure they should.

I have a lot of friends that live in the villages both native and non native and when I ask them about all this, they just kind of chuckle and say the Govn't checks are still flowing into all the places and this is something that someone thought up to get free stuff.

I don't think it is a scam. But if it is, the people involved can be prosecuted for several things...mail fraud being foremost.

[Siouxcia]

Absolutely, without a doubt, they should.