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DAMIEN MARRERO / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
An overturned boat laden with crabs and mussels that was found Dec. 23 on a reef in Punaluu has been confirmed as debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
JUNEAU, Alaska » Coastal states affected by debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan are about to receive an initial $250,000 each from a $5 million gift from Japan for cleanup.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is distributing the money and will allocate the remainder on an as-needed basis. States slated to get funds include Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and California.
The pool of funds has taken a hit, with NOAA using $478,000 from it to remove a dock that washed ashore on a remote beach on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
The state of Alaska is preparing to ask for up to $750,000 in additional funds to help with clean up this summer.
Unlike in other states, many of the beaches targeted for cleanup in Alaska are remote or difficult to access. And there is a narrow window in which to conduct cleanup operations.
