Extreme cold forcing Emmonak residents to choose fuel over food

Tue, January 13, 2009
Posted in Alaska News, Top Stories

Residents of the Southwest Alaska village of Emmonak are running out of food as a trifecta of bad circumstances have forced them into choosing between high priced fuel or feeding themselves. A combination of a collapsed commercial fishery that left residents without summer income, an early fall freeze up that prevented a final fall barge fuel shipment and an unusual spell of extended cold has left residents in the Yupik village of 800 desperate.

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

UPDATE 14 JAN 2009: Following several listener/reader questions we contacted our story sources to ask how listeners might be able to help. They suggested donors consider sending a check or box of dry goods to:

Emmonak Tribal Council
PO Box 126
Emmonak, AK 99581

To donate with credit card, call the City of Emmonak at 907-949-1227

To ask questions about the situation there, call Nick Tucker with the tribal council 907-949-1011.

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Comments

907kat

Where can people send food and/or financial donations?

Glen

How can we donate food? would it be expensive to mail some food out to the village elders, general delivery Emmonak?

how can we help?

Exactly what I was wondering! ??

William Odinzoff Jr.

This situation is widespread thruout the Yukon Delta area where fishermen had no income and growing fuel bills. We need an emergency disaster declared for this area and get some help for us.

alaskapublic

Thanks to folks that asked about donations! We've updated the story to include options for donating food and/or money during this crisis.

yupik2007

My village Alakanuk is about 6 to 7 miles from Emmonak and I'm sure their going thru the same thing and I would like to send a box of groceries to my folks from Anchorage to Alakanuk. Can I be able to still pay $20.00 for delivery with Grant Air from Anchorage to Alakanuk?

Thanks

Glen

Ok,
Should I contact Grant Air? I'd rather send food or stuff than money. Maybe someone could charter a big plane and some of us could fill it with things the people of Emmonak need such as food, diapers, soap, hygene stuff for a community food bank. Sounds like people in nearby villiges need some place to get food too until things break in a good way. Has Emmonak got a food bank? Thank you for the address & phone number I left a message for Nick Tucker. He is at a meeting. Any churchs there that would help dispense food?
Glen & Rose

mpb

Emmonak has a Boys & Girls Club, too.

Goods instead of cash means extra burden on shipping containers and excess or unessential stuff needing to go somewhere out of the way.

quyana

For food drop information, go to the Tundra Drums website at thetundradrums.com

there is a link on donation information and how food will be shipped to the village. T

George

Contact the following and mention THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Jo Dawson
Specialist
Child and Adult Care Food Program
801 W. 10th Street, Ste. 200
PO Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 907-465-8711
Fax: 907-465-8910
E-mail: Jo_Dawson@eed.state.ak.us

907465-8710

Autak

Basically people can donate to any tribal council in the state of Alaska.
I am sure all the communities are facing an economic crisis similar to that of Emmonak. Thank you.

Check on the internet for village addresses or simply send to the tribal council at general delivery plus the zip code.

Koyuk, Shaktoolik, Nunam Iqua, Togiak, Quinhagak, Tuluksak, Toksook Bay, Newtok, Alakanak, Pilot Station, Mekoryuk, Bettles, Point Hope, Kivalina, Buckland, Wales, Anaktuvik, New Halen, Tununak on and on....

Debra

Where are the native corporations? Why are they not helping their people with this. It is horrible that it was allowed to get so bad.
Thank God for the good people that are helping them meet their needs.

VeryAngry

Debra, Emmonak is part of the Calista Corporation. Right now, the Calista board of directors are under very thin ice with its shareholders. Give me your address and I will show you where the money is going. It will show you the salaries and bonuses of all the board members, and all its assets. In fact, go to the Calista website and read the shareholder comments.

Yupik

Are people so sure that what is being reported is the truth? I am very close to people in Emmonak and there are offers to sell fuel to people at a "reduced" rate. Actually, the people that are saying that the prices are going to be so high are telling people that they can get fuel at a particular rate. Actually, they are buying the fuel at a considerably lower rate and marking it up significantly. They are telling or implying to the people that they are getting the fuel at cost.

What a neat scam: Create a crisis using media, propagate that crisis in and out of Emmonak, look like the savior and make a bunch of money off of the very people they say they care for. By the way, one of the people in the media recently who was commenting on the fuel costs has lined his pockets on more than one occasion at the expense of the people of Emmonak.

Be very careful with your generosity and know what and who you are giving your money for. I think it is horrible for someone to take advantage of the love and generous nature of others to line their pockets.

Things are not as bad in Emmonak as what these people are telling you. I do know of a few people who are having a hard time. But if you were to look at many (not all) of these people, you would find tha tthey have enough money for booze, cigarettes, marijuana, etc. They have those items. They pay $50.00 for a gallon of "home brew" and they are drinking all of the time. This is not representative of all of the people in Emmonak who are having a hard time. But there is more than enough food in Emmonak to take care of the need.

There are two things going on:

An entitlement mantality that has hurt our people. Handouts and government money is deserved and no effort to earn for themselves because it is too easy to do nothing and still receive government assistance. This in addition to the horrendous amount of money spent on drugs and alcohol is a big problem.

Second, is a small group of people who are exploiting the good folks of Emmonak. These people have been taking money and doing scams like this for a long time. They need to go to jail. Maybe the new police department here or the troopers or the feds could do something.

Don't take my word for it. Just know where you spend your money and who you give it to. Scam artists are everywhere. They are unfortunately in Emmonak too.

Struggling in Nunam Iqua

It’s not just Emmonak that is struggling it’s the entire Yukon Delta. I live in Nunam Iqua, a village that is 25 miles south of Emmonak. Not only are we faced with the same issues as Emmonak but our crisis is harder because we no longer have a store here. Our trading post colapsed several months ago, so we have no place here to get groceries. So not only are we struggling between choosing heating fuel or food we have to spend even MORE MONEY to buy gas to travel upriver to Emmonak or Alakanuk to even get food. Which is very expensive when you have pay $7.20 a gallon for gas. It takes atleast 6 gallons of gas just to travel by snowmachine to Emmonak or Alakanuk to even get groceries. So that takes that much more money away from what we have to spend on heating fuel and food. We try to reduce our heating fuel costs by using our wood stove but then are we really saving money? because we still have to spend money on gas to go and get wood for our wood stove.

Everyone, especially Govenor Palin, needs to realize that it’s not just Emmonak residents that are suffering! We need help in all of the YK Delta villages!

Struggling in Nunam Iqua

It’s not just Emmonak that is struggling it’s the entire Yukon Delta. I live in Nunam Iqua, a village that is 25 miles south of Emmonak. Not only are we faced with the same issues as Emmonak but our crisis is harder because we no longer have a store here. Our trading post colapsed several months ago, so we have no place here to get groceries. So not only are we struggling between choosing heating fuel or food we have to spend even MORE MONEY to buy gas to travel upriver to Emmonak or Alakanuk to even get food. Which is very expensive when you have pay $7.20 a gallon for gas. It takes atleast 6 gallons of gas just to travel by snowmachine to Emmonak or Alakanuk to even get groceries. So that takes that much more money away from what we have to spend on heating fuel and food. We try to reduce our heating fuel costs by using our wood stove but then are we really saving money? because we still have to spend money on gas to go and get wood for our wood stove.

Everyone, especially Govenor Palin, needs to realize that it’s not just Emmonak residents that are suffering! We need help in all of the YK Delta villages!

VeryAngry

I would like to thank Nicholas Tucker for his courage to finally get this issue into public view. Not just to Alaskan politicians, but to the whole world. We have always been paying twice the amount for ALL goods shipped out here, but never in my life have I seen it so bad. Sure, we have had help in the past from all over the state, and we thank those that have given so generously, but there's only so much they can do each year. After all the situation is getting worse.

We have been crying out for help from the state for a few years now, but all we seem to get from them are comments like that of "Yupik" from above - not good enough. With that, I would like to finish by saying that I am not embarrassed of our poor poeple in the YK region, but of our Calista Corporation, our State Government, and our own people ("Yupik"!!!) for turning a deaf ear to our hungry children, and those that give up their meal to feed them.

My heart goes out to my own people of Emmonak, and to all in the region. This is stemming up to be a real humanitarian crisis in the making of it's own government bodies. Please help Nick Tucker and Lisa Murkowski by supporting their efforts to help our poor people.

Aucha Kameroff

Nick Tucker is a very smart man and knows what to do to make our own families, our own people, our own neighbors, as well as our own local and state government aware of the real issues in the villages. It is not only Emmonak's poeple who are struggling this year - it is happening in your villages as well - so take a closer look at your own family, your extended family and your neighbors. The best thing to do now is to take action and make a difference. I am very proud Nick Tucker of Emmonak brought this issue to light so people are not left alone in the dark hungry and cold. It takes a strong person to speak the turth mostly to help others who are in need and less fortunate than you. Kudos to Nick Tucker.

village Elder

I live in alakanuk and I don't think people in Emo or any other of our villages are "starving". If the Emo council would have stopped playing around and ordered gas when they should have, the village would have the fuel they need. On the other hand, I agree with the writer that said the people get money from the government all the time and spend it on brew, smokes and weed. They are usually drunk and don't work. Rather than send them more stuff to sell to get money to drink, why don't we cut off all assistance and let them learn to live off the land. Our people use to do that and we all were strong and healthy. Now, we act like beggars and use the government money and drink up everything. We need to be proud to be Yupik, not dependant on the government. shame on our people!!!!!!!

Village Elder

ralf1031

I was in Emmonak 3 weeks ago and I will say that the village is suffering from very high prices. The food is high, the fuel is high and the the people are so very kind under that low points in life. After leaving Emmonak on snowmachine and sled heading to Alakanuk, I had a accident. The villages of Alakanuk and Emmonak were so very caring towards me throughout the time I was there till my departure to Virginia. I provide eyewear to the residents and I wish I could do more. However, we as American can do more, lets open our hearts and send them donations. Please view www.ralfandkaseyfriedrichs.blogspot.com for more information. May God bless the villages in Alaska and may God bless America. Thanks, Ralf Friedrichs, ABOC

ralf1031

Please view www.ralfandkaseyfriedrichs.blogspot.com

You get phone numbers and address for all donations. Please refer to them and Nick Tucker only.