Task force aims to move those displaced by ex-typhoon in Alaska from shelters to hotels, rentals

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Officials have identified more than 1,000 available hotel rooms plus additional rental options in Alaska's largest city for the hundreds of people displaced to Anchorage after the remnants of a typhoon ravaged their villages earlier this month.

Becky Windt Pearson, Anchorage's municipal manager, told a news conference Tuesday that leaders are working to expedite moving people from two large shelters in the city to more private accommodations in line with the aims of a state-led task force formed to address housing needs for evacuees.

“The state will be the lead on moving the individuals who have been evacuated into housing options of their choice,” she said. “What we’ve been doing is to try and support that effort by identifying every resource we can.”

More than 650 people were brought to Anchorage by military aircraft as part of a mass evacuation after the remnants of Typhoon Halong walloped parts of western Alaska on Oct. 11-12. The storm brought lashing — in some places, hurricane-force — winds and damaging storm surge. It brought widespread devastation to the Yup’ik communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which saw record high water levels.

About 338 people stayed Monday night at the Anchorage shelters, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The shelters are at a sports and events center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus and a downtown convention hall. Windt Pearson said a lane on the street near the convention hall was closed, and a flashing light was being used to help draw attention to an increase in foot traffic in the area.

It's possible more evacuees could come to Anchorage as people continue to assess their housing situations and needs, she said.

State officials have acknowledged it may not be possible for everyone to return home before winter arrives. Crews and supplies are being sent to communities to aid in debris cleanup and emergency home and critical infrastructure repairs. But the daylight hours are getting shorter, and temperatures are getting colder. The windchill at one point was 15 degrees Tuesday at the airport in Bethel, a regional hub and a launching-off point for relief supplies for the storm-battered villages.

The impacted communities are off the main road system. Kipnuk and Kwigillingok are accessible by air and — in the warmer months — by water. They have trails for snowmobile access to some other villages in the winter.

The state transportation department was bringing in emergency lighting and generators for the airports in those two communities, Shannon McCarthy, a department spokesperson, said in an interview.

Tuesday's news conference, called by Anchorage Mayor Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, also included Alaska state Rep. Nellie Jimmie, who represents communities impacted by Halong; tribal health and relief agency representatives; and the superintendent of the Anchorage School District, Jharrett Bryantt.

More than 130 students displaced by the storm have enrolled in Anchorage schools, Bryantt said.