View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2019/01/11/514622.htm
About 1,200 properties in the Anchorage area are waiting for damage inspections more than a month after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook south-central Alaska, city officials said.
The deadline to apply for a state individual assistance grant is Jan. 29, but city officials said residents do not need the inspection before they submit applications for state or federal disaster aid, the Anchorage Daily News reported Monday.
More than 750 homes and buildings have been determined damaged so far, and minor damage has been found in hundreds more, city officials said. The quake struck 7 miles north of Anchorage on Nov. 30.
While the city is inspecting properties for free, homeowners who can afford the expense might want to consider calling a contractor or private engineer to inspect sooner, said Ross Noffsinger, the city’s acting building official. It could take several months for the building department to work through the inspection backlog, he said.
“We’re triaging the inspections as they come in and getting out to what appears to be the most dangerous ones,” Noffsinger said.
Even if inspectors have not yet confirmed the extent of damage, people should not wait to start an aid application, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
“We would rather tell people no (than) to have a person pass on an opportunity for assistance because they are unsure what is eligible under our program,” Zidek said.
Grants could provide up to $17,450 to cover damage that affects a person’s ability to live in the home.
The state is sending out teams of inspectors to verify damage reports, Zidek said. If the damage is found to be only cosmetic, the request for aid will be turned down, he said.
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