Palin spokesperson does not believe that the reports that Governor Sarah has ignored the crisis in Emmonak are fair. My heart bleeds.

State officials are discussing ways to help Emmonak Friday morning but state disaster assistance may not be available for the Southwest Alaska village, a state official said.

“There’s just too many details to be talking about any kind of disaster relief,” said Tara Jollie, head of the Division of Community and Regional Affairs.

“The message needs to be that what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to find out what options are available and we’re assessing the information,” Jollie said in an interview this morning, Jan. 16.

Officials with state agencies are holding a teleconference meeting that will launch their effort to study the situation and look for ways to help, she said.

The meeting has been promoted and directed by Gov. Sarah Palin, and will include members of the rural affairs subcabinet Palin created, Jollie said. Jollie could not say whether Emmonak could qualify for disaster relief. The rules are complicated. Bristol Bay fisheries in the 1990s were declared an economic disaster, but only after a year of debate by experts, she said. (These people do not have a year to wait for a debate. They are being helped right now through the donations of generous people from around the world, but that is only a band-aid being applied to a mortal wound. This warm weather will pass and the people of Emmonak will find themselves in danger once again.)

“We don’t know that there’s disaster relief assistance available,” she said. “We certainly don’t want to raise expectations.” She did say the state might be able to provide some kind of help within a week. “I’m hopeful we can find state resources, other programs, some other things already in existence,” she said/

Jollie also said she is troubled by media coverage that Gov. Sarah Palin is sitting idle despite the cry for help in the Lower Yukon River village of 800. Palin has been very engaged in mobilizing staff and has orchestrated the response, Jollie said. “It’s a priority for her,” she said. “She’s been asking for updates and information, all week as matter of fact.”

I just got off of the phone with Nick Tucker, the man who wrote the letter which started this whole humanitarian effort, and learned that the closest he has come to communicating with the Governor is participating in a teleconference with a Yukon Crisis group, consisting of tribal leaders , a representative from the Governor, and other involved parties. Palin herself has not talked directly with anybody in the village, nor has she flown out to see first hand just how dire the situation has become. Nor has any representative of hers.

I also learned from Mr. Tucker that they have not yet received much in the way of relief. The credit card money has been coming in but has not yet been totaled. When it is, it will be disseminated throughout the village to purchase more heating oil for the families in need.

Any checks that have been written to the town of Emmonak will still take a number of days to reach them. Let us hope it is enough to feed the hungry people and keep them warm for the remainder of the winter.

There has been one food drop so far with another planned for Monday. Mr. Tucker said that they are planning a potlatch dinner so that the food will get distributed to the people who need it as quickly as possible.

So if Governor Palin, or her people, are reading this blog, THERE is your update on the situation in Emmonak. I found out by calling and asking, perhaps you should do the same.