Juneau residents whose homes were lost or damaged during the record glacial outburst flooding can apply for state assistance in person next week.
The state’s emergency management division, the city and volunteer groups will open a disaster assistance center at the Mendenhall Valley Library from Aug. 21-23.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesperson Jeremy Zidek said the state has received 60 applications for individual assistance so far.
“We think that that’s a good number of the people that have had damages,” he said. “Our DAC will give those who haven’t registered an opportunity to sit down face-to-face and register that way.”
He said those who’ve already applied can still go to the library to talk about their applications.
State assistance can help homeowners cover property damage, cleanup work and other costs.
Zidek said renters can also apply for assistance if they’ve lost “critical and essential items,” like clothing, furniture and kitchenware.
Those who were displaced may also be eligible for help paying for temporary housing. Renters can get up to three months of housing assistance and homeowners up to 18 months.
Those interested in applying for assistance at the library should bring documentation of damages or losses — which could include photos, videos or written records — along with proof of occupancy and home ownership, insurance information and an ID.
Zidek said state assistance is for people whose primary residence was lost or damaged.
“If it was a vacation home or some type of second home, then they may not be eligible for our state’s individual assistance program,” he said. “One of the items that we ask for is proof of occupancy — this can be a utility bill.”
Deputy City Manager Robert Barr said that if homeowners have already started repair work, documenting that is important. It will help with the permitting process and ensure good record-keeping for state assistance applications.
“It is a good idea to document with pictures and with narrative about what the state of whatever the repair work was before, during and after,” he said. “How many loads of rock were laid, or what have you.”
City staff will be at the library to answer questions about immediate needs, and volunteers from other organizations will help identify long-term assistance.
The disaster assistance center will be open from noon to 7 p.m. on Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Homeowners can also apply for state assistance online until Oct. 9.
