Four homeless people died in Anchorage, Alaska, this week amid a storm that dumped more than two feet of snow on parts of the city in just 48 hours.
The latest deaths have added to the growing number of homeless deaths in the Last Frontier, where a record 49 have died so far this year, compared to 24 in 2022.
Three men and one woman were reported dead since Nov. 5, according to the Anchorage Daily News, which cited police incident reports.
The snow-covered makeshift camps that had reportedly sprung up following the city’s closure of a mass shelter during the pandemic were reportedly reported.
The victims were Alfred Koonaloak, 61; Alfred Pungalik, 56 years old; Neil Nelson, 36 years old; and an identified woman who died when her shelter caught fire during the snowstorm.
Both Alfreds were in wheelchairs.
Flowers were left this week at the door where Koonaloak died, the Anchorage Daily News reported, and “RIP Uncle Al” was scrawled on a wall.
In July, Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson suggested giving homeless people a one-way ticket to warmer climates before the Alaska winter arrived, The Post reported.
The suggestion came after the Conservative mayor and Liberal assembly could not reach an agreement on a new shelter.
Four homeless deaths this week bring to 49 the total number of people who have died while living outdoors in Anchorage so far this year. AP The latest deaths have added to the growing number of homeless deaths in the Last Frontier. AP Anchorage has struggled to find a solution to house the homeless since closing a mass shelter during the pandemic.
Flowers were left at the door where Koonaloak died, the Anchorage Daily News reported, and “RIP Uncle Al” was scrawled on a wall.
In July, Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson suggested giving homeless people a one-way ticket to warmer climates before the Alaska winter arrived, The Post reported.
The suggestion came after the Conservative mayor and Liberal assembly could not reach an agreement on a new mass shelter.
The city had been trying to move people into hotel rooms and other facilities this month, but hundreds were estimated to still be on the streets as frigid temperatures rose.
Anchorage broke its daily snowfall record on Wednesday when 9 inches of snow fell in 24 hours.
With postal cables
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn