According to Mayor Melvin Andrews, residents lost power when all three of the city’s generators failed on December 13. In the face of oncoming storms, in late December the city had issued an emergency declaration, requested state aid, and opened its school as a shelter.
A January 1 article from KTUU said that the Bristol Bay Native Association and the Bristol Bay Native Corporation agreed to send aid to the community in the form of cots, blankets, food and drink and propane
The first repairs came around New Years’ Day.
The Alaska Energy Authority’s chief operating officer Tim Sandstrom said that, as of January 9, a contractor was preparing to connect the town to a repaired generator. At that time, he said a secondary generator is currently being tested and should be installed in about a week.
The City of Manokotak announced on Facebook that residents who incurred expenses to keep themselves warm and their homes lit during the blackouts could present their receipts to the city by January 11. But it said that Governor Mike Dunleavy hadn’t declared Manokotak under a state of emergency, so it did not know if the state would reimburse them.
The community’s local utility provider, Manokotak Natives Limited, did not respond to requests for comment. The Alaska Energy Authority said they worked with Manokotak Natives Limited to address the broken generators.
Get in touch with the author at christina@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
