Better brush up on those wilderness survival skills…
Source: CNN.com
Thousands of villagers in rural Alaska are struggling to survive, forced to choose between keeping their families warm and keeping their stomachs full, residents say.Harvested nuts and berries, small game animals, and dried fish are the only things keeping some from starving.
To get to the nearest store, Ann Strongheart and her husband, who live in Nunam Iqua, Alaska, take an hour-and-15-minute snowmobile ride to Emmonak, Alaska. Their town does not have a store of its own.
Normally, they would each ride a snowmobile, in case one broke down. But now, they can’t afford to waste the fuel, so they just take one and hope for the best.
At the store, the Stronghearts buy groceries and supplies for the family for the week, which cost more than $400. They buy only as much as their snowmobile can carry.
In many stores, 2 pounds of cheese costs between $15 and $18, milk costs $10 a gallon, a 5-pound bag of apples costs $15, and a dozen eggs costs $22 — more than double the price in the area just two years ago.
Many area residents don’t even bother with fruits and vegetables, which can be damaged by freezing on the trip home.
After shopping, the Stronghearts pack their groceries into boxes, tie them to the snowmobile, and begin the 25-mile trek home, passing moose, rabbit and fox tracks along the way. Video Watch how transportation is a challenge in rural Alaska »
The trip sets them back about $50 in fuel alone.
On top of high food prices, some residents are paying nearly $1,500 a month to heat their homes.
Technorati Tags: Alaska
15 Comments
If you lived in the middle of the desert, I’m sure you would have trouble finding food too! Just a thought solution… move closer to civilization
If that’s not your thing, then you can’t complain about not receiving the benefits of civilization
Keep pounding the keys. Place a site where relief aid can be sent. Keep pushing hunting, fishing needs of real Americans, and may God Bless!
It’s about time this story found its way to MSM.
For deep background, see http://www.themudflats.net/
Also, http://alaskareal.blogspot.com/ (written by a Tlingit/Athabascan Native Alaskan woman)
Dennis Zaki is the Alaska reporter whom donations sent out to Emmonak AK to film the situation and deliver the first shipment of emergency food and fuel in mid-January. See his stories at http://alaskareport.com/blog/
All 3 of the above sites are reporting today’s CNN coverage, but back-reading on previous daily entries is very informative — nevertheless, here’s a synopsis:
The cry for help went out January 13, 2008, from Nick Tucker, a Native Alaskan resident of Emmonak, Alaska — wait, I take that back — the Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, whom Gov. Sarah Palin fired last summer over a separate dispute involving her demand for punishment or firing of a state trooper involved in divorce from her sister….Walt Monegan warned Sarah Palin last summer that rising heating and vehicle fuel prices and a failed salmon fishing season would cause extreme hardship for all the western Alaska coastal villages. Nothing was done by Palin or any of her appointed department heads.
Several of those “anonymous, PJ’d lying” blogsites heard saw Nick Tucker’s call for aid to the village, and hundreds of bloggers on these sites set up a donation station, where, before a week was up, more than $7,000 was raised to buy fuel and food…additionally people from all over the USA packaged goods and sent them via USPS to the folks in Emmonak and other villages.
All this while, the Governor of Alaska did nothing. After more than a week, she sent 5 state officials out to Emmonak to “evaluate” the situation — they didn’t bring any lifesaving emergency food or anything else with them. What a waste of a plane flight.
Meanwhile, state Representative Jay Ramras was organizing a donation food/fuel drive, and when he’d gathered up a planeload of goods to sent out to western Alaska, pilots he asked to help wanted $40,000 to load and transport his donated goods. He got a donated flight, finally, to Bethel AK, which is about halfway out to the coastal villages, but needed a connecting flight. FINALLY, after 3 weeks of inaction, Gov. Palin agreed to allow the use of a plane to move Rep. Ramras’ goods the last few miles to their destination.
That’s the story, one that’s evolved over this past 4 weeks’ time — and high time, too!
Why do people have so many kids and cannot provide adequate support. Why doesn’t the media call these wreckless people on the carpet?
Back again.
Here’s a funny tongue-in-cheek mock news report on the Tesoro Iron Dog snowmachine race going on right now in rural Alaska, with Todd Palin — Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband, aka “the First Dude” — and his partner racing in slot #15…and what they found when they arrived in Emmonak needing food and fuel.
http://www.ieatgravel.com/?p=3227
You see, most progressive Alaskan laugh somewhat wryly at their Governor’s foibles, and the unofficial state business her First Dude has gotten involved in — thus, the findings of the Alaska state legislature that Todd Palin and a number of Palin administration officials were in contempt of Senate a few days ago for not responding to subpoenae for their testimony in what’s popularly called “Trooper-gate”, the legislative investigation into whether Sarah Palin violated state ethics regulations in the Walt Monegan firing and Todd Palin’s interference regarding the state trooper brother-in-law’s employment status.
And to think that Sarah Palin preeched for months about helping the little guys, tax breaks blah, blah, blah. Now we find out the truth. People in her own state are practically on the verge of death, while she parades around the country looking for more ways to make herself famous, getting book deals etc. Palin is shameless. What about going back to Alaska and doing your job? Palin, help the people who have nothing you selfish, conservative, GOP stooge.
I’m sick of all this people trying to judge others. Why do they live where they live. Why do they have so many kids. That’s not the issue here. Children are going hungry here. A one year old with no milk. How can people be so mean to others. Is there an address or someway I can send milk for the baby.
How shameful that Alaska is letting their native population die. The guv seems OK taking per diem, clothes, eating the illegal moose her x-brother-in-law shot,(her dad field dressed it and her sister was there too, just didn’t take the shot),
but can’t seem to find a way to help the original citizens. Why not ask the GOP to send foos instead of clothes?
THe new father and his unmarried, unemployed, uneducated girlfriend could maybe deliver the food for ya? They don’t have anything else to do, unless they are both now advisors to the Govenor.
Let them eat crack!
People have been living like that for years- Maybe if they could kill wales (which they did but can’t anymore), or maybe if they could shoot moose (which they did but can’t anymore), or bear, or anything else they would be able to survive. However, because of the “War on there lifestyle” they could no longer support themselves and will be forced to completely loose there culture.
They have been living in the Arctic/Alaska for thousands of years and survived whats different today?
I would not be shocked of these events since you Governor is Sarah Bush JR.
My heart truly goes out to these people. I hope they can get some type of assistance. I am completely disgusted with Sarah Palin. This woman is so useless. And to think she ran around this country trying to convince us that Obama was a terrorist, and that she and McCain would save the country and help all the little people. Hell, she can’t even take care of the people in her own state! USELESS!
The interesting thing about Native Alaskan villages is that they want the best of both worlds. They want exclusive rights to the lands and resources their ancestors lived on but also want all the perks of Western civilization (especially the welfare systems.) Their ancestors did without snowmobiles (snowmachines in Alaska), expensive fuel shipments, airplanes, and vegetables. How did they stay warm and get their food? If you want to live like a “white man” you need to realize that the white man lifestyle is very expensive 1000 miles from the nearest K-mart. If you can’t afford it, you need to move into Fairbanks/Anchorage or you need to revert back to a subsistence lifestyle. Isn’t the $3269 per person enough help from the government this year?
Some of these comments shock me! I don’t think it is for us to judge where they live or how many kids they have. You can make the same argument for complaints about the city. Why do we chose to put up with higher crime, horrible traffic and air pollution? We just do, and we can’t demand that they abandon the place their ancestors have lived for centuries.
As far as the governor, well, I think this is a perfect example of how she would be handling our economic crisis. Thank you, America, for making the best choice. Obama has struggles ahead, but he is going to try to his best.
And to “bob” on the $3629 per person government help: How far would that really go paying more than $1000 per month to heat your home.
I would like all of the cruel-hearted people making those types of comments to see how long they would last in those harsh conditions. Get enlightened, people!
Why hasn’t Obama acted on this . Is he insensitive to the needs of the people ?
This is a suggestion I made to CNN regarding the villages in Alaska.
I am writing regarding the story about the struggle of villages in Alaska written by Mallory Simon.
I’d like to see cnn establish a fund for the villages similar to one established for Youssif – the boy from Iraq. Your coverage of his plight moved me to donate and follow his story.
From Ms. Simon’s article, these are proud people who are resourceful and self sufficient. The energy bill passed in 2008 focused on lower rates for electricity. A subsidy or fund for fuel seems to be the most urgent need to the communities. Ms. Simon explained how little of the $1,200 energy rebate covers actual energy costs relative to the cost of gasoline/oil and increased costs for food.
It is a sad day when a state so flush with energy profits has communities suffering an energy crisis.
I am sending a donation to Mr. Nicoles for him to direct to his needs and those who shared their stories with him – in particular the father who wrote about his infant son who is without milk.
Thank you for your time and consideration.