Governor Sarah Palin has declared a disaster for the flooding event in the interior including the drainages of the Yukon, Kuskokwim and Susitna Rivers. River watch teams are in communities right now. Assessing current flood stages.
Teams are preparing to deploy to communities down river on the Yukon and assess the situation and relay information back to the state emergency coordination center. Spring flooding will be monitored until all ice jams on all rivers break apart.
A formal written declaration of disaster will be finalized when the event is complete and state and local government can assess the total number of people affected and all damages. The state disaster declaration is the first necessary step to allow access to federal relief funds.
