{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-applauds-announcement-of-100-federal-cost-share-for-western-alaska-disaster", "Alaska Delegation Applauds Announcement of 100% Federal Cost Share for Western Alaska Disaster", "2022-09-29", "2022", "2022-09", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=28", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), and Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) today welcomed an announcement that President Biden has approved the State of Alaska\u2019s request to waive the state\u2019s cost share for individual and public assistance for recovery efforts from the impacts of Typhoon Merbok in Western Alaska. President Biden\u2019s order today increases the federal share for emergency assistance to 100 percent of the total eligible costs for the first 30 days following the incident, up from the original 75 percent federal cost share approved on September 23. The President approved a similar arrangement for the recovery from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico.\n\n\u201cI thank the President for listening to us and approving our request for a 100% waiver of the State\u2019s cost share for federal assistance associated with recovery efforts from the Western Alaska disaster,\u201d Senator Murkowski said. \u201cToday\u2019s announcement is the result of the Alaska Delegation\u2019s dogged efforts to make the case to the administration, as well as our colleagues\u2014working to educate them on the needs of Western Alaska\u2014and it paid off,\u201d said Senator Murkowski. \u201cThe storm damage from Typhoon Merbok is severe and the recovery needs are extensive. I saw destruction in every impacted community I visited\u2014damage to infrastructure like roads in Elim, homes floated off of their foundations in Golovin, extensive flood damage, subsistence camps literally wiped out, taking boats, nets, and four-wheelers. This waiver will go a long way in the regions\u2019 road to recovery, and with freeze-up just weeks away, approval of this waiver couldn\u2019t have come soon enough.\"\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad to see that the federal government has honored our request to waive the state\u2019s cost share for the relief to Western Alaskans just as was done recently for Puerto Rico,\u201d Senator Sullivan said. \u201cI\u2019ve been working this issue non-stop, speaking directly several times in the past few days with the Secretary of Homeland Security and senior White House officials, and I had an amendment to the Continuing Resolution (CR) ready to go in the event those discussions with the Biden administration were not successful. The delegation also wrote a letter to the FEMA Administrator and I spoke on the Senate floor about this. I want to thank the federal officials who listened and ensured a prompt cost share waiver. Thank you also to all of the Alaskans who have come together and remained resilient and tough throughout this disaster. Help is on the way. Now is the time to start applying for aid that can assist with everything from emergency shelter to food and other needs. The delegation will continue to stay focused on the important rebuilding process.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to thank President Biden for listening to the Alaska delegation\u2019s concerns and approving a 100% federal cost share for our state,\u201d said Representative Peltola. \u201cThis additional federal funding will lift a huge burden off Alaskans who are working so hard to rebuild after the devastation brought by Typhoon Merbok. These next few weeks are critical for making necessary repairs before the winter months and I\u2019m grateful that President Biden has answered our call for help.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know the next few weeks will be critical for the communities impacted by the storm. From the beginning, we\u2019ve done everything to support recovery in Western Alaska, including asking for additional support from the federal government,\u201d said Governor Mike Dunleavy. \u201cRural Alaska is tough, but this storm damaged critical infrastructure and personal property \u2013 a cost too great to handle alone, which is why we asked for additional federal help. Thank you to the Biden Administration for waiving 100 percent of the State\u2019s cost share for additional disaster assistance. Alaska\u2019s Congressional Delegation and I know the waiver will go a long way in helping repair the damage to these communities. Let\u2019s get our Alaskan families back on their feet.\u201d\n\nFor questions on applying for aid, please email storm@ready.alaska.gov.\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nOn September 16, remnants of Typhoon Merbok produced widespread damage to communities in Western Alaska\u2014flooding of homes and businesses; damage to infrastructure for power and water, as well as roads and bridges; and impacts to approximately 1,000 miles of coastline.\n\nOn September 20, Governor Dunleavy requested a federal disaster declaration which was immediately followed by a letter from the Alaska congressional delegation urging President Biden to expeditiously approve his request. On September 23, the President issued a major disaster declaration to support Western Alaska\u2019s recovery.\n\nIn Governor Dunleavy\u2019s Major Disaster request, he requested a federal waiver for the State of Alaska\u2019s cost share for individual and public assistance recovery efforts in western Alaska, which was followed by a letter from the Alaska congressional delegation urging FEMA to approve Governor Dunleavy\u2019s request.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:29:59Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-applauds-announcement-of-100-federal-cost-share-for-western-alaska-disaster"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9929640218615532, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}