ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage scrambled Tuesday to find temporary housing for the homeless after back-to-back snowstorms dumped more than 3 feet of snow on the city in just nine days. The amount is also high in Alaska. standard.
Concerns are growing as temperatures are expected to plummet into single digits by the weekend.
Four people who appear to be homeless have already died this month, part of a record 49 deaths of people living outdoors this year in Alaska’s largest city, according to a tally by the Anchorage Daily News. .
The Anchorage Council held a special session Tuesday to approve a contract to add 50 beds to the shelter, which just opened in October.
The current shelter was originally set up with 150 beds in an administration building at a former waste transfer site, but after mass shelters set up at sports arenas closed during the pandemic, the city answered. It is part of a patchwork of shelters in old hotels, apartments and social services facilities to house the city’s homeless population, estimated at more than 3,100 people.
The new emergency winter shelter has more than 90% occupancy, and Congress unanimously approved the expansion.
Alexis Johnson, the city’s homelessness director, said the city is working with the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness to provide new beds for those most in need.
“Thank you for focusing on the most vulnerable.” said Anchorage Assemblyman Felix Rivera, chairman of the Housing and Homelessness Committee.
There were also questions about adding more beds to the facility, which is far away from social welfare organizations.
“We want to maintain a capacity of 200 people, especially in case of emergencies like the recent snowfall and extreme cold.” Mr. Johnson said.
It will cost the city nearly $200,000 to increase production capacity by the end of the year. If expansion is still needed in 2024, it will cost him nearly $500,000 more to run the shelter for four months.
David Rittenberg, Catholic Social Services’ senior director of adult homelessness services, said the line-up of 50 newspaper beds is welcome.
“It’s tough for people outside, the shelters are full.” He said.
Catholic Social Services provides about 250 beds at three shelters in Anchorage. “And it’s packed every night.” He said.
Demand for beds did not increase significantly during the storm, but that will change. He said people will hunker down in tents to focus on essentials and stay warm and dry during heavy snowfall.
Things change when the snow stops and people think about their next steps.
Concerns also increase as temperatures drop and people try to stay warm. This month, one person died when a heater caught fire in a makeshift shelter while they were sleeping.
A heavy snowstorm hit Anchorage, leaving cars and even trucks stranded on unplowed roads. Schools were closed or learning remotely, garbage trucks stopped picking up items, city and state officials were closed, and grocery and liquor stores saw increased traffic between storms.
Just under 38 inches of snow fell over the nine-day period, making it the third-highest snowfall Anchorage has experienced in a single day since snow records began in 1916.
“This is really very high and unusual snow for Anchorage.” said Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist at the National Weather Service.
Last December, 44 inches fell in 12 days, Brettschneider said. In 1996, 44 inches fell in 10 days.
It’s also one of the heaviest years in the year for snowfall by November 13th, but just because it starts early doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll snow heavily.
The 1982-83 winter season started with 38.7 inches through Nov. 13, but totaled only 71.4 inches, Brettschneider said. In 1996, he started the season in November with 36.6 inches, which dropped to a total of 69 inches during the season.
“Everyone wants to say, ‘Oh my god, it snowed so much, this is going to be an epic snowy winter.'” Brettschneider said. “It doesn’t always work out that way.”
Even with snow, he said, global warming hasn’t stopped in Alaska.
“The day it snowed was a warmer day than usual in Anchorage.” He said. “We are threading the needle with rising temperatures and increasing snowfall.”