I'm admittedly confused about what money Hirsh thinks the state will be able to access that it's not capable of accessing already?
Declaring a state of disaster (perhaps a state of emergency is more appropriate) unlocks certain things like money and programs, but most of those are still limited by state and federal law to specific types of incident. Say the governor declared: What funds exist out there for Dept Public Safety (DPS) and Dept Health (DHHS) to tap to combat this that they aren't being given access to now?
Also what federal programs are available? Is the author suggesting FEMA come and stop sexual assaults?

The fact is DPS already actively combats sexual offenses, but it needs more regular funding. The FBI, Marshals etc also work on federal level cases, but we need Congress to appropriate larger field offices to Alaska to do more.

This is a monetary issue in the long-term. Short term declarations wont provide lasting solutions.