Demo, transport costs born by residents, disaster funds
Eligible residents who suffered property damage during the December storms can now dispose of their construction debris beginning Aug. 20, a cost that will be reimbursed by FEMA.
Twenty seven applied for the program. A list of eligible residents will be finalized next week. Residents will be responsible for the cost of demolishing and transporting the debris. Some will receive assistance from disaster relief funds.
The Haines Borough Assembly voted to spend up to $110,000 for disposal costs, a budget set by emergency operations center head Carolann Wooten, that FEMA will reimburse. Community Waste Solutions will set up a transfer station at the borough’s water treatment plant near the landfill and will accept construction debris such as lumber, timbers, windows, doors, sheetrock, insulation and roofing. The program is limited to those who have worked with the Haines Long Term Recovery Group (HLTRG) for disaster assistance.
Other municipalities have assisted their residents in removal costs. After wildfires damaged private property in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, residents moved wreckage into the street and the borough picked it up. The municipality was reimbursed by FEMA’s public assistance program because the debris was on a public right-of-way, said Mat-Su Borough director of public works Terry Dolan.
“When we had a contractor go clean it up, the borough ended up paying for it and FEMA reimbursed us under the public assistance program,” Dolan said.
Depending on need, the disaster funds will go toward demolition and transport of the debris.
“Some folks will receive full financial assistance,” HLTRG coordinator Sylvia Heinz said. “We have an assessment process for prioritizing cases based on vulnerabilities, needs and resources. Folks that are elderly or disabled, for example, will be balanced with resources and needs to help prioritize who gets what.”
The borough is only accepting debris already loaded into containers, which will likely cost homeowners more. “I don’t have an accurate assessment of the cost difference but I would expect it will be an increase in cost that either the (residents) or disaster recovery assistance funds will absorb,” Heinz said.
Steve Virg-In said a local contractor quoted him a cost of about $11,500 to demolish and transport the debris from his Lutak Spur Road home that was toppled on Dec. 2. The cost includes remediating a buried 500-gallon fuel tank that Virg-In estimates has about 400 gallons of fuel. He said the vent to the tank was destroyed when his house collapsed and is now buried under debris. He said he’s been concerned since December that rain will cause the fuel to leak. He’s reached out to multiple organizations including state and local environmental organizations, the Haines Borough, the Alaska Department of Conservation and state and federal legislators with requests for help to mitigate a possible spill, all to no avail.
“There is no doubt in my mind that that tank has gotten water in it,” Virg-In said. “I see water pooled up in the basement. All the water that comes down drops into that basement.”
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation program manager Curtis Keisel said while the tank could pose a hazard to the environment, it’s up to Virg-In to ensure the tank gets pumped and that DEC would only respond to a spill.
“Should a release happen, the owner would be responsible for removal and cleanup under DEC regulation,” Keisel said.
The Virg-Ins have to pay for the demolition and transport of their house out of pocket. After being denied for state assistance earlier this year, the state later accepted their appeal and awarded them individual assistance. It can only be spent on reconstruction costs, mortgage or rent payments and replacing personal belongings, Virg-In said.
“We are looking at paying all contractor fees to remove the house,” Virg-In said. “That’s where it stands at the moment.”
Leonard Dubber lost four low-cost rentals near the Moosehorn Laundry. He burned much of the wood debris and let residents salvage other items.
“We’ve burnt most of the wood,” Dubber said. “We had no idea if we were going to have any help at all. We didn’t want to stand there and twiddle our thumbs.”
He said he’ll take the scrap metal to the borough’s transfer station and that it’s unlikely he can afford to rebuild. “I’m not going to be able to replace those rentals. There’s no way.”
Heinz said between 9 to 10 homes are classified as fully destroyed, but some residents plan to salvage materials. “They have to decide how much of their home they’re going to throw in the trash and how much they’re going to use to rebuild. That decision is completely on the homeowner.”
Approved residents have 30 days to dispose of the debris.
“We’re going to be consistently monitoring to ensure that costs mirror projected costs,” Heinz said. “At this point we’ll just be monitoring and communicating with the borough.”
To apply for the program, fill out a debris processing assessment survey at haines.ak.com/longterm-assistence before Aug. 19.