Skip to content
Back to Top

Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Division of Community and Regional Affairs

 
State of AlaskaSOA / CommerceDCCED / Community & Regional AffairsDCRA / Grants Section / CDBG-DR-Merbok

Grants Administration

Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) - 2022 Typhoon Merbok

FEMA Disaster #4672

merbok disaster area map

The Draft Typhoon Merbok Action Plan (AP) is Available for Public Comment!

The deadline for comments is Wednesday September 24, 2025, 11:59PM Alaska Standard Time.

  1. Access the Draft Typhoon Merbok AP.

  2. How to Comment on the Draft Typhoon Merbok Action Plan.

    • Download, complete, and email or mail [ this Fillable Comment Form ] to:
      Email: cdbgdr@alaska.gov
      Mail:
      Brandon McNaughton
      Division of Community and Regional Affairs
      Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
      550 W 7th AVE, STE 1640
      Anchorage, AK 99501-3510
    • Send an email with your comments directly to Brandon McNaughton at cdbgdr@alaska.gov.

  3. What Comes Next

    • August 25-September 24, 2025 | Public Comment Period. During the public comment, including the September 10th public hearing, the project team will document all comments, including when and how they were received, by whom, and the content of the comment.
    • September 25-30, 2025 | After the Public Comment Period closes, the project team will review all comments, assess, and make agreed-to recommended revisions to the Draft Action Plan.
    • September 30, 2025 | DCRA will submit the AP to HUD, including a detailed record of all public comments and how they were addressed from Public Review Draft to the Final Draft as submitted to HUD.
    • September 2025-Spring 2026 | The project team will implement a robust Public Engagement Process to further refine data related to and prioritization of unmet needs resulting from the impacts of Typhoon Merbok.

HUD-identified "most impacted and distressed" areas:

  • Bering Strait Regional Education Attendance Area
  • Kashunamiut Regional Education Attendance Area
  • Lower Yukon Regional Education Attendance Area

State-identified "most impacted and distressed" areas:

  • Lower Kuskokwim Regional Education Attendance Area
  • Pribilof Islands Regional Education Attendance Area

The Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development works to rebuild Alaskan communities by putting Alaskans back in their homes, restoring critical infrastructure and mitigating future damage through resilient community planning.

The Division of Community and Regional Affairs is the lead agency for administering the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery for the 2022 Typhoon Merbok (CDBG-DR-MERBOK) funds on behalf of the State of Alaska. On May 18, 2023 HUD allocated  $38,493,000 (State Administration: $1,924,650; State Planning: $5,773,950; and Mitigation Set-Aside; $5,021,000) for recovery from the 2022 Typhoon Merbok. A minimum of $30,794,400 must be expended in the HUD-identified "most impacted and distressed" areas.

Resilience Planning and Practices

Planning is essential to ensure Alaskan communities, residents and businesses are prepared for future disasters. Hazard Mitigation Planning activities help local leadership and the public decide how to allocate funds for housing and infrastructure that is more resilient and reduces the risk of death, property damage, and suffering from natural disasters. 

The State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) is collecting input on which activities could do the most to decrease risk and benefit the most people.

  • Resilience Planning: Uses hazard risk assessment to identify where floods, seismic activity, tsunamis, and landslides can cause harm to residents. It determines places where new housing will be safer, but where people will still be connected to transportation, schools, grocery stores and houses of worship. With lots of people looking for temporary and permanent housing, there is a shortage of safe, affordable housing in areas affected by disasters. Resilience planning helps to ensure housing and infrastructure are safe for the next generation and beyond.
  • Watershed Management: Brings together communities that are connected by a river or stream to balance the effects of disasters and helps people work together to understand and manage flooding, seismic activity, and other risks.
  • Natural Flood Protection: Includes strategies like creating constructed wetlands for floodwater storage and restoration of vegetated buffers.
  • Learning Tools of the Trade: Includes training and learning from local government officials, businesses or nonprofit organizations to help communities be more prepared and safer from disasters.
  • Home Retrofits: Includes updates and fortifications to homes and individual residences that reduce risks during severe weather and flooding. Retrofits can also include improvements to reduce risk of wildfire events.

Applicable Plans

Public Notices

CDBG-DR Administrative Action Plan

CDBG-DR Citizen Participation Plan

  • To be published at a future date.
  • To be published in English, Inupiaq, Yupik, Cup'ig, and Aleut

CDBG-DR Language Access Plan

  • To be published at a future date.
  • To be published in English, Inupiaq, Yupik, Cup'ig, and Aleut

CDBG-DR Action Plan and Substantial Amendments

  • To be published at a future date.
  • To be published in English, Inupiaq, Yupik, Cup'ig, and Aleut

Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting (DRGR) Action Plan and Quarterly Performance Reports

Programs

  • State Administration / not to exceed 5%
  • State and Local Planning  / not to exceed 15%
  • Resilience and Mitigation / not to exceed 15%
  • Public Services / not to exceed 15%
  • Housing Recovery (New Construction, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction)
  • Public Infrastructure Recovery
  • Economic Revitalization

Related Documents

Related Applicable Laws and Regulations

Procurement Policies

Solicitations and Contracts

Confidential Citizen Complaints may be filed at:

https://ak-ombuds.i-sight.com/portal 

or in writing on a complaint form, mailed to 

Alaska Ombudsman
1500 West Benson Blvd.,
Anchorage, AK 99503 

or via email to 

ombudsman@akleg.gov 

or by telephone at

907-269-5290

Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in HUD programs to

https://archives.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/rhiip/uivreporting.cfm

For more information about Alaska CDBG-DR Grants

Contact DCRA staff at cdbgdr@alaska.gov

Brandon McNaughton
Division of Community and Regional Affairs
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Location: Anchorage
Phone: (907)269-4501
Fax: (907) 269-4563
brandon.mcnaughton@alaska.gov

Anita Baker
Division of Community and Regional Affairs
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Location: Anchorage
Phone: (907) 269-4252
Fax: (907) 269-4563
anita.baker@alaska.gov

Revised 08/25/2025

Content Reviewed 08/25/2025

The State of Alaska, Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED), complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This publication is available in alternative communication formats upon request. Please contact the DCRA Publication Specialist at 1-907-269-4560

Mission Statement

Helping Alaska’s communities build sustainable economies and a means of self-governance.


The Alaska Relay is 711
or 1-800-770-8973 \ TTY

1-800-770-8255 \ VOICE

Anchorage
Mailing/Physical Address

550 W 7th AVE, STE 1640
Anchorage, AK 99501-3510

Phone: (907) 269-4501
Fax: (907) 269-4563

Juneau
Mailing Address

P.O. Box 110809
Juneau, AK 99811-0809

Physical Address

(No US mail delivery)
333 Willoughby AVE, 9th FL
State Office Building
Juneau, AK 99801

Phone: (907) 269-4501
Fax: (907) 465-4761