The small Alaskan town of Emmonak is in crisis. A detailed story is available at the Anchorage Daily News, but here's a summary—it's the frigid northlands, and they have no heat.
An extra-early cold snap literally froze out the barge that was due to deliver heating oil for the winter. Now, supplies are running low and prices are skyrocketing. Governor Palin is, naturally, barely responding to the crisis. Village leaders have been asking for help since October, when the barge was initially frozen out; however, Palin's administration thinks that the freeze somehow doesn't qualify as a natural disaster. They're tying up the process of getting help to these people with endless fact-finding meetings.
I'm sitting here, torn between outrage, despair, and utter disbelief. This is Katrina in a microcosm, folks--nature's being shitty, people are suffering, and their cries for help are being met with this overwhelming, evil apathy from the government that's supposed to be protecting them.
The town is accepting donations, and I hope that we here at Kos can make at least a little bit of difference. Details below the fold.
To donate, you can either contact the:
Emmonak Tribal Council
P.O. Box 126
Emmanok, AK 99581
(907) 949-1720
or City of Emmonak, (907) 949-1227/1249. Credit card donations are accepted, and please specify that your donation is for heating oil.
Thanks, guys.