KFSK - Petersburg

Petersburg’s active COVID-19 cases climbed to 46 yesterday, with results from 271 tests pending.

Earlier this week, Petersburg incident commander Karl Hagerman said community spread appears to be happening in multiple settings and locations.

A contact tracing team from the State of Alaska has been helping investigate possible sources of spread. They’re asking residents to answer the phone when they call and to cooperate with testing.

Petersburg Medical Center leadership said on Tuesday that staff had been working around the clock. The medical center has treated some patients with monoclonal antibody treatments and have more doses if needed.

The medical center has ventilators on site but would likely medevac patients out for that treatment, they said. They have medevaced one patient so far in the outbreak.

Free asymptomatic testing is being offered to anyone at the airport testing tent Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 10 a.m.

Petersburg’s emergency operations center has recommended that all non-essential businesses close. They’re also asking all essential businesses to use curbside service and to stagger staffing.

Travel is not recommended unless it’s critical. The EOC is also asking residents to adhere to the local masking mandate.

There have been 103 COVID cases in Petersburg since the pandemic began. 89 of them have been residents and 14 non-residents.

Many Petersburg residents are rallying behind a family left homeless after a Feb. 15 fire destroyed their Scow Bay rental. Donations have poured in and fundraisers have begun.

But not everyone was so nice. Hours after flames gutted the house, looters entered the wreckage and stole firearms and other valuables in a safe.

More than a week after the fire, the blackened shell of the two-story home still stood, but the inside was a pile of rubble on the ground. The blaze was so hot the glass on two large aquariums melted. The barrels of Darcy Mallory’s grandfather’s antique guns hung on bedroom walls with warped barrels. Her son’s home-built computer system was gone.

A week before, Mallory said she had awoken to her partner’s shouts.

“Mike was like ‘Fire! Fire!’ And I jumped up out of bed immediately,” she said.

Mike Olson had fallen asleep on the couch but woke up at about 4:30 a.m. to see flames licking the outsides of the windows. Mallory says he opened a door to let one of their dogs out and smoke billowed in, setting off the smoke detector. But just for a moment.

“It was like, BEEEEP, and then the power went out,” she said.

The smoke detector was hardwired and apparently had no battery backup. She says everything went black and sickeningly quiet. There was an eerie, orange glow from the flames.

She yelled for her son, who was asleep in his bedroom. Then she ran to her own bedroom to grab her phone and a blanket, which she wrapped around her son, 15-year-old Jozef Myrick. By then the flames were about knee-high at the front door.

“It was just so smoky, you could barely breathe, you’re choking on it,” Mallory said. “Jozef was like, ‘I don’t want to go through the flames, Mom.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t care’ and I just shoved him.”

Meanwhile, Olson had been running in and out rescuing their two other dogs.

The whole thing took just over a minute, she says.

“By then as we came down the stairs, the back end of my truck was already in flames, like everything was just gushing up around, it was crazy,” Mallory said.

She had bought the truck new last year.

They stood on the icy road watching their home of six years burn. Mallory was wearing a tropical dress top with shorts. They were barefoot in the cold.

“You’re standing there and you’re on the phone with 911 and it’s just engulfing you’re whole entire house and everything that you own is just being burned up, all your memories … like, everything,” Mallory said. “You lose so much of it, and it was just horrific.”

They were able to get the three dogs outside, but they couldn’t find their cat until 10 minutes later.

“The glass doors shattered and he came barreling out there like a ball of flames, just a ball of flames comes flying through,” said Mallory. “He hit the boat, rolled into the snow, and took off down to the waterside.”

They found their cat later that morning with injuries and flew him to an emergency pet clinic in Anchorage, where he’s recovered.

Almost immediately, people started coming forward to help. Neighbors drew them indoors for warmth.  They got a call from a local clothing store that would open early for them to get some donated clothes.

“This community has been so awesome, I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for everybody for everything that they’ve done,” Mallory said. “I don’t even know how to start, and I’m really thankful for the EMS and the PVD or the fire department, the dispatch lady that stayed on the phone with me — she was there listening to me scream, “No! What is going on? Why!?”

But not everyone has been so kind hearted. A fireproof safe had been left behind in the back bedroom. The family says it went missing the night after the fire.

Mallory says they called the police.

“Because there were a couple handguns inside of it, you know, vital records, social security, checkbooks, gems that we had mined when we went to Arkansas three years ago,” she said.

She says she can’t understand why people would steal from those who have already lost so much.

“You can tell that the house is burned down, that we’re trying to salvage stuff and for somebody to walk up and take the safe. . .” said Mallory. “That’s the only bad juju I’ve had throughout all of this. Everything else has been really good juju.”

That’s what she chooses to focus on. Mallory says she fell in love with Alaska when she first visited as an 11-year-old. She grew up in Idaho and as a young adult worked for years in an ammunition factory. Her wrists grew tired of the repetitive movements day after day, so she put an Alaska map on the wall and threw a dart.

“The dart had like little silver and blue ends on it, it was a metal dart,” said Mallory, “and I just pinned the map up and I landed on Kupreanof Island, and the biggest town that was next to it was Petersburg.”

That was 13 years ago. She’s since gotten into a routine of working at a local shipyard, raising her son, volunteering and gardening. She always believed it was fate that brought her to the town of 3,000. She says that after losing her home, she has seen that the gamble has paid off. Her friends have been supporting her through this crisis.

Friends like Debbie Marden who has gotten the family in temporary housing and is coordinating donations.

“I knew that their need would be great, immediately,” Marden said, choking up. “It’s different when you help somebody get to the store and get groceries, but when somebody loses everything that they own, you do what you can do.”

But there are some silver linings.

That night, without really thinking about it, Mallory had shut her bedroom door, and that’s where firefighters would later enter the building. From that room they were able to salvage some vital records and a few totes, which included her grandmother’s homemade afghans.

Olson acted as a human fire alarm only because he had fallen asleep on the couch that night. And he wasn’t injured besides a slightly singed arm.

And then the outpouring from Petersburg’s community.

“It’s really humbling honestly, to have people bringing you all this stuff,” Mallory said. “And you’re just like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize that I had that many friends in the community and that many people that cared.”

There’s an account set up for donations at First Bank in Petersburg in the family’s name. There are still some items that the family needs, like furniture. One request: wildlife posters for her teenage son’s room.

To donate items, call Debbie at (907) 518-4493 or Andrea at (907) 650-0468. They are also asking for computer parts to help replace the one Myrick had built.

Amid a spike in cases, Petersburg health officials are asking the community to take steps to control the spread of COVID-19.

Petersburg increased its risk level to red on Monday. Schools switched to remote learning Tuesday, and many business, tribal and governmental services are either suspended or switching to phone service only.

The 16 active cases reported Monday were already the highest number for Petersburg during the pandemic. By Tuesday afternoon, the count was at 30 cases.

Petersburg incident commander Karl Hagerman said community spread appears to be happening in multiple settings and locations.

“It’s very concerning not only that it’s occurring at all but that we can’t really pin it down to a certain one source,” Hagerman said. “To me it elevates the concern level quite a bit and should impart to everybody that we just need to contract our circles right now and do the best we can to not be around others and try to knock this out.”

Those case numbers may increase as the week goes on. It’s been busy for the Petersburg Medical Center’s hotline for people asking about being tested. PMC chief of staff Dr. Jennifer Hyer said many who are diagnosed and calling to be tested are showing symptoms.

“We have hospitalized two people who thankfully I can say we were able to treat successfully with the therapies that we have, which include IV antivirals, steroids, supplemental oxygen and other therapies,” Hyer said. “So that’s a definite success.”

PMC has seen some COVID positives for people who have received the first of two doses of the vaccine but none in people who have been fully vaccinated. The medical center planned to expand its free asymptomatic testing at the screening tent at Petersburg airport, starting Wednesday. That means people without symptoms can be tested there for the next week or two.

Alaska’s chief medical officer Dr. Anne Zink encouraged vaccination and testing.

“What we learn again and again through this pandemic is that prevention is key,” Zink said. “And so when we’re able to identify cases early, people do much better, communities do much better. If you don’t have COVID circulating, it’s a lot easier to get together because you can’t give COVID if you don’t have it. So we really are encouraging people to test regularly, so it’s great to hear about the asymptomatic testing. We have a lot of testing resources in the state and standby to support you in any way we possibly can.”

Meanwhile the borough assembly Tuesday approved updated versions on local health mandates in response to the expiration of the state’s disaster declaration. Those mandates cover traveler testing for people coming to Petersburg, cruise ships docking in the harbor, plans for companies bringing workers in from out of state and a directive to provide temporary shelter for someone without a home who needs to isolate or quarantine.

Some community members continue to push back on those health measures, recommendations for vaccination and Petersburg’s unenforced mandate for masking.

At an assembly meeting Monday night local resident Donna Marsh asked the assembly to change directions.

“The coronavirus in all its variations, and it’s been around a long time, is here to stay,” Marsh said. “People will get it. People may die from it and most people survive very well after having acquired it. I would urge the council, the EOC and those who are making decisions for the residents of Petersburg to let life continue. People thrive in having the opportunity to decide for themselves what they want to do, where they will travel, where they will spend their money and the whole bit.”

Assembly member Chelsea Tremblay acknowledged that everyone was tired of the pandemic but called for a more productive tone in the community discussion about it.

“We don’t get to abdicate our responsibilities to this community because we are tired of the weight that they put on us,” Tremblay said. “So we are all very tired of this. I understand people are frustrated and people are getting information from a lot of different places that send them a lot of different directions, but overall I just want to thank everybody who’s doing work to keep each other safe and following the steps that we all know by heart by now.”

Among other closures for businesses and services this week, the Petersburg Indian Association has closed its offices for the rest of the week but staff are working from home, checking the answering machine and dropbox. The PIA does expect to have a drive through food box distribution later this week.

(Full disclosure: borough assembly member Chelsea Tremblay was a KFSK news intern in 2008.)

The town of Petersburg is like many in Alaska these days, finding its residents split on different issues — whether it’s the coronavirus or politics.

But the Southeast community has come together this year for a single cause: raising tens of thousands of dollars for a 13-year-old boy fighting cancer a thousand miles away, in a cancer ward in Seattle.

Joseph Tagaban was always a healthy, active kid. He plays basketball and gets good grades in school. So when he noticed his gums swelling up right before Christmas, his family wasn’t too worried.

“He’s really a good boy, he’s very respectful, very well-mannered, and such a strong kid,” said Je Tagaban, his mother.

“A hard-working kid,” said his father Eddie Tagaban. “Normally he goes fishing, gillnetting with me in the summers.”

But X-rays at his local dentist office showed something wrong.

The family flew to Juneau to see an oral surgeon who found an infection. It took 18 days for pathology results — because of the holidays. The results showed Ewing sarcoma, a rare, but often curable, cancer. That meant a trip to Seattle Children’s Hospital for more tests. They learned it was really a rare form of leukemia, a cancer of the blood.

“It is a kind that is very aggressive,” Je said from Seattle, speaking inside her son’s hospital room. “So they wouldn’t let us leave the hospital.”

Je and her husband sleep in a nearby hotel, but spend most of their time with their son. He’s since been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, also known as AML.

Joseph says it’s been an ordeal.

“It’s much harder than it looks,” he said.

Joseph is like other Alaska kids. He grew up occasionally seeing commercials on TV of children with cancer who lost their hair. He knew cancer was awful but he didn’t know how much until now.

“Taking the amount of medication … It really drains your energy and spirit,” he said. “I mean, it’s really hard compared to what you would think it would be.”

Get well soon cards and banners cover his walls and gifts, like Lego kits from friends, are displayed nearby. It helps get him through the rough times like the rashes, fevers, nausea, lumbar punctures and bone marrow tests.

“Especially the pain,” Joseph said. “Like extreme pain. It skyrockets sometimes and I just feel that it gets unbearable sometimes.”

His parents put him in a clinical study for children, which is trying to prevent the recurrence of the cancer. The study allows him to receive a new drug that pinpoints a specific gene mutation.

Je says the side effects from the treatments have been hard to bear.

“It’s too hard to watch your child, with his age, he’s just too young to go through this,” she said.

“You know, the last bout of pain he had in the middle of the night was terrible,” Eddie said. “Just seeing the pain in his face and you’re helpless… and trying to hold him.”

The parents are doing what they can.

When their son’s hair started falling out, Eddie shaved his own head in solidarity. About a half dozen of Joseph’s friends followed suit.

“They FaceTimed on the phone and watched each other shave their heads, which was really cool,” said Eddie. “Those are some special buddies he has.”

Overall, Joseph’s attitude has been positive and strong. Strong enough to earn him the title back home, “Joseph Strong.” It’s a logo you see on posters in shop windows and on t-shirts.

“My mom even calls me a celebrity,” Joseph said with a laugh. “So… it’s a little overwhelming.”

The family finds strength through prayer, their tight-knit Filipino family and support from their hometown in Alaska. Petersburg residents have helped raise close to $100,000 through events and soliciting donations. The elementary kids even had a bubblegum day where sales went to the family. Je says Joseph’s medical journey has brought people together who would ordinarily be divided by politics or isolated by the pandemic.

“It’s not about just us, we’re fighting together for this, everybody’s helping,” Je said. “We’re taking this in a positive way. It brings community together.”

It’s uncertain whether the cancer will go away forever, but the family is hoping for the best.

There are several more rounds of chemo left, which will last more than a month. Joseph is able to walk the hallways when he’s feeling good. He says what he wants to do the most when he gets out is to hug his friends back home.

Local banks in Petersburg have set up accounts for donations to the family. There is also a GoFundMe fundraiser online as well.

A home in the Scow Bay area in Petersburg was destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning, but all three occupants were able to escape the blaze.

The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department was called out to a home on the Scow Bay Loop road around 4:30 a.m.

“We dispatched fire and EMS personnel along with police department to the scene and we found a house that was pretty fully involved in the 100 block of the Scow Bay Loop Road, when we got there,” said Dave Berg, spokesman for the department.

Berg said the department had two trucks on the scene.

“We deployed a water cannon to knock down the fire once we got a hydrant hooked up to the truck, which considerably knocked down the fire,” he said. “Then we sent our teams inside with special gear to expose the areas of the home that were still burning and put those out.”

Berg said three occupants in the home were able to escape, along with some pets.

“Smoke detectors went off, and the occupants noticed fire coming out of the first floor of the building up in front of the windows on the second floor. And so they quickly got out of the building and were standing out in the parking lot when we arrived,” he said.

The home is likely a total loss, along with several vehicles that were parked nearby.

There is no word yet on cause of the blaze. Berg said the amount of damage may make it difficult to determine a cause, but it is under investigation. Fire fighters finished up work at the site around 9:30 Tuesday morning.

An account for Darcy Mallory has been established at First Bank for donations to help out the occupants of that home.

The state of Alaska has issued the first of several expected preliminary decisions to transfer some land to the Petersburg borough. It’s part of a large land entitlement that goes along with the creation of the borough government in 2013.

When Petersburg expanded its boundaries in 2013, the size of the municipal government’s state land entitlement increased. Then it increased a whole lot more with the passage of a 2017 state law. Most of that land has yet to change hands and it’s a long process. But this decision identifies 1,452 acres the state proposes to turn over to the municipal government.

Rachel Longacre is section chief for the state’s Land Conveyance Section, part of the Department of Natural Resources.

“It looks like a really good decision going forward,” Longacre said. “My staff did a great job of identifying areas that rather than just retain or postpone large swaths of land we really tried to boil it down to how much can we get to the borough immediately because we know that the boroughs need to use this land for their community and that’s important to us.”

The 2017 legislation increased Petersburg’s share of state property so this decision just covers about 10 percent of that. The total entitlement is 14,666 acres. The state had already granted 458 acres to the former city government, leaving 14,208 acres still to transfer. Two more preliminary decisions are expected on additional acreage.

The parcels covered under this decision were the first priorities identified by a local selection committee in 2016. The borough’s community and economic development director Liz Cabrera said they were priorities identified before the 2017 bill.

“So when we thought that perhaps we would only be eligible for about 1,400 acres and so these were the priority selections,” Cabrera explained. “And I think it still makes sense to have these go through first since these were the ones that we really thought would be of benefit to the borough in the long-term.”

The selection committee focused on the available state land that could be easily used for economic development. That includes waterfront property that can be sold for homes. The request also includes rock pits and boat ramps and the land around a mothballed ferry terminal at the southern end of Mitkof Island.

Other state agencies have weighed in on the transfer, and the preliminary decisions follow some of those recommendations but not all.

As drafted, Longacre said the decision would reject some of the borough’s requests.

“Yeah, there were a couple of areas that unfortunately due to the classifications or due to what the areas in we cannot convey it,” she said. “So there was 77 acres that were rejected, they’re within the Southeast State Forest. And then the other one is in a special use area. Both of those are LDAs, which is legislatively designated areas. Those are written into statute.”

The state is proposing to reject the borough’s request for the land immediately uphill from the South Mitkof Ferry Terminal, along with the log transfer facility known as Olsen’s Log dump and another log transfer facility at Woodpecker Cove. However, other land near those places would change hands. It’s also postponing a decision on some of the land near Falls Creek that is close to fish habitat.

Other parcels that are proposed for transfer are near Cape Fanshaw and in Thomas Bay on the mainland near Petersburg, at Frederick Point and near the Cabin Creek Reservoir, on Three Lakes Loop Road near Falls Creek, on southern Mitkof near little Blind Slough and Woodpecker Cove, as well as several lots on Duncan Canal near Grief Island.

Once the land is transferred, Cabrera said it will ultimately be up to the Petersburg assembly to decide what to do with it.

“Whether these lands are to be retained or sold, I mean I think that’s a fundamental question,” Cabrera said. “We’ve in the past just speculated that there would be a combination of those things happening. But without any real specifics at this point, I think part of it was waiting to see what we actually ended up with and where before getting into the details of it.”

After public comment, the Department of Natural Resources issues a final decision which transfers management authority for those lands. Cabrera said many of these parcels are already surveyed, which will speed up the transfer once that final decision is issued.

A public comment period on this decision is open through 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12.