A backhoe on a dirt road
Porcupine Trail Road during Phase I of the road rebuild. (HNS Site Inspection Report Phase I, 6/2023 via FEMA determination memo)

After twice deciding it would penalize the Haines Borough by withholding $1.4 million, the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) has now reversed course and will reimburse the borough for repairs to Porcupine Trail Road.

The successful appeal was the second time the borough had challenged the agency’s decision to withhold the funding. It’s a…

Will Steinfeld is a documentary photographer and reporter in Southeast Alaska, formerly in New England.