Public Safety

President Donald Trump granted the State of Alaska’s request for a federal disaster declaration on Wednesday, unlocking federal disaster aid to support the ongoing relief and recovery effort in the aftermath of ex-Typhoon Halong throughout Western Alaska.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy formally submitted the request on Oct. 16, and applauded the announcement on social media on Wednesday.

“This declaration will be instrumental for ongoing response and recovery efforts. I want to thank President Trump and his administration for the continued support of Alaska and providing help for Alaska during this time of need,” Dunleavy said on Facebook. “Thank you President Trump!”

The declaration authorizes a 100 percent cost share for relief assistance for the next 90 days, through January, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on all recovery operations and programs. Representatives with the governor’s office and Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said they did not yet have a copy of the declaration on Wednesday.

Trump said he also authorized an immediate $25 million in relief funding, to cover costs as the state continues to conduct damage assessments.

“I am approving $25 Million Dollars to help Alaska recover from the major typhoon they experienced earlier this month,” Trump wrote on the social media site Truth Social. “It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024 — ALASKA, I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The Alaska congressional delegation also thanked the president in a joint statement, noting their letter urging the president to respond and grant the disaster declaration.

“I raised Alaska’s disaster declaration directly with President Trump yesterday at the White House and thank him for quickly approving it to ensure impacted western communities have federal support in the wake of Typhoon Halong,” wrote US Sen. Lisa Senator Murkowski, R-Alaska. “I also appreciate FEMA’s expedited review of this request, which is one of the quickest federal responses in recent years.”

“To all Alaskans impacted,” Murkowski added. “Please know that your congressional delegation, state, and nation stand united and will continue to coordinate recovery efforts as you move forward.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, praised Trump’s move and said he would be visiting storm-impacted villages on Saturday.

“I plan on being in Western Alaska this weekend with top FEMA and DHS officials, and my team and I will continue working closely with the Trump administration and our state, local, and tribal partners to make sure these incredible Alaskans get the help they need to recover and return to their communities,” Sullivan said.

Begich has not announced plans to visit the region. He also praised Trump and the announcement. “Our focus as a delegation remains on ensuring every Alaskan family impacted by this storm receives the resources and support needed throughout the long process of rebuilding their lives,” he said.

The disaster declaration request covered the Northwest Arctic Borough, Lower Yukon Regional Education Attendance Area and the Lower Kukokwim Regional Attendance Area, places hit by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

More than 1,500 residents were displaced by the storm that killed one woman and left two missing in Kwigillingok.

The storm recovery effort is in full swing. Local residents are working on clean up, while regional tribal partners and dozens of state agencies, non-profit and relief organizations provide support to the region, particularly the hardest hit area of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. State and tribal agencies are flying aid into those residents who remain in the coastal villages, like immediate food, water and fuel, while crews continue to work on debris removal, fuel spills, infrastructure assessment and repair to water, power, and sewer systems, roads and boardwalks. Crews are working throughout communities to repair homes where possible, so that local residents can return before winter sets in.

There is no cost estimate for the storm damage at this time, according to Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, because agencies are working to restore services simultaneously.

The state is offering emergency assistance, available through an application on the state’s website, open through November 9.

The program provides financial assistance for storm damage to homes, vehicles, essential personal property, medical, dental or funeral needs directly related to the disaster. Applicants will be eligible for $21,250 in home repairs and another $21,250 for “other needs.”

The president has not yet authorized federal individual assistance — $42,500 for home repairs and $42,500 for other items — but state officials say there will likely be more information from the Trump administration in the coming days.

Large-scale evacuation efforts are winding down in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta after the remnants of Typhoon Halong washed away homes and infrastructure.

In the days since Halong brought record floods and high winds to the coast, more than 600 people have boarded military helicopters and planes bringing them to Bethel and on to Anchorage. The Alaska National Guard called it the largest airlift operation in the state’s history.

Now, the focus is shifting.

“We’re in the relief process,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said at an Alaska Army National Guard hangar in Bethel on Friday after visiting Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, two villages hit hardest by the storm.

Teams are continuing to assess damage in villages throughout the region and restore basic services, like power, water and communications. Some 90% of the structures in Kipnuk were destroyed by the storm, along with 35% of buildings in Kwigillingok, according to the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. A quarter of households in Napakiak have been displaced by flooding.

Further east, in Quinhagak, the storm eroded 60 feet of shoreline separating the community’s sewage lagoon from Kuskokwim Bay, and left raw wastewater perilously close to entering a vital salmon stream. Artifacts dating back to the 16th century at the Nunalleq archeological site, key to understanding pre-contact Yup’ik history, were left scattered on the sand.

Loading…

Meanwhile, hundreds of people are in shelters at the Alaska Airlines Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Egan Civic and Convention Center.

State officials say the next step for evacuees is moving them into temporary, so-called “non-congregate” housing, like apartments or hotel rooms. The Municipality of Anchorage reported Saturday it had identified 1,000 hotel rooms and 100 apartments that could be used by evacuees.

But the long-term future for evacuees — whether they’ll be able to return to their home communities, and when — remains uncertain with winter fast approaching.

“Hopefully over the next few weeks, we’ll have a much better understanding about how many people can go back to the villages, and then long term discussions as to, what is this going to look like over the long term?” Dunleavy said.

Kipnuk, he said, was in “bad shape.” But Dunleavy said he was optimistic about Kwigillingok’s future.

“We believe we can get that place up and running, probably on a much larger scale, where we think a lot of folks can actually come back,” he said.

Though military flights are tapering off, State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesperson Jeremy Zidek said evacuations would continue with smaller aircraft. He said the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the regional tribal health consortium, is working with state officials to coordinate ongoing flights.

“If people still want to evacuate, now is really the time to let YKHC health care providers in the communities know, so we can start that process to get them out of the community,” he said.

Dunleavy sent a request to President Trump on Thursday asking him to declare a major disaster, which would unlock additional federal resources. He asked the federal government to cover 100% of the costs for the first 90 days. Local officials and the state’s congressional delegation are pressing Trump to approve the declaration.

On Saturday, a spokesperson with the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the disaster declaration was “under review.” An earlier email from FEMA warned of delayed responses to questions because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

State officials are encouraging anyone who suffered damage in the storm to apply for the state’s individual assistance program, which helps people find housing, make repairs and more. It also helps tell state officials where help is needed and marshal resources from charitable groups, Zidek said.

Survivors can apply for assistance online at ready.alaska.gov/ia or by calling (844) 445-7131.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested Thursday that President Donald Trump declare a federal disaster after remnants of Typhoon Halong brought high winds and record-breaking floods to coastal villages in Western Alaska.

“This incident is of such magnitude and severity that an effective response exceeds state and local capabilities, necessitating supplementary federal assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health, and safety, and mitigate the threat of further disaster,” Dunleavy wrote in a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Dunleavy and members of his cabinet were scheduled to visit Kipnuk and Kwigillingok on Friday.

The disaster declaration would unlock federal resources to respond to the Lower Kuskokwim and Lower Yukon regions in Western Alaska, in addition to the Northwest Arctic Borough. The Association of Village Council Presidents, a consortium of tribal governments in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, urged a federal disaster declaration in a letter to the White House on Tuesday.

Loading…

Previously, officials coordinating the state’s response in the immediate aftermath of the storm said federal resources were not necessary. But with damage widespread, leaving evacuees unsure when they’ll be able to return home, Dunleavy said the state’s resources may not suffice.

“Due to the time, space, distance, geography, and weather in the affected areas, it is likely that many survivors will be unable to return to their communities this winter,” Dunleavy wrote. “Agencies are prioritizing rapid repairs to all lifelines where possible, but it is likely that some damaged communities will not be viable to support winter occupancy, in America’s harshest climate in the U.S. Arctic.”

Alaska’s congressional delegation urged Trump to sign the disaster declaration.

“The people of Western Alaska are once again facing the onset of winter and the immense challenge of rebuilding in the aftermath of another coastal storm,” they wrote. “Quick federal action will help ensure that families remain safe, critical services are restored, and communities are stabilized before winter arrives.”

Trump was expected to sign the declaration Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Alaska Public Media’s Liz Ruskin contributed reporting.

The city of Anchorage is preparing to welcome up to 2,000 people displaced by the catastrophic storm that hit Western Alaska on Sunday. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said she expects many will stay through the winter.

“We’ll do everything we can to help folks and to do our best to provide a safe and welcome environment where they can heal and have stability as they work to rebuild,” she said in an interview Thursday.

About 260 evacuees arrived Wednesday. Hundreds more arrived Thursday, with additional groups expected in the coming days.

LaFrance said some will likely stay with friends or family. But many will need housing. The city is standing up shelters at the Alaska Airlines Center, the Egan Center and the Fairview and Spenard recreation centers. Together, they can house up to about 1,200 people. The mayor’s team is also working to find hotel rooms. Going forward, she said, her team will look at options for more permanent housing.

“It’s unknown how many people right now will be able to go back to those communities, or when or how they will be rebuilt,” she said. “We are working very closely with partners and looking at ways that we can help to quickly scale up different kinds of housing to meet this need.”

LaFrance said the municipality is taking a supporting role as the state of Alaska and the Red Cross manage the emergency response. Her team is focusing on emergency shelter and transitional and temporary housing. She said the Red Cross is working to feed evacuees and provide other basic amenities.

Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said in an email that schools are ready to enroll students and provide support including emergency supplies, bus transportation, mental health services and translation assistance.

“This transition carries both emotional and cultural weight,” he wrote. “Our schools will be places of belonging, healing, and hope, where every child feels safe, valued, and connected.”

Bryantt and LaFrance both underscored the devastation of the storm, noting Alaskans impacted have had to uproot their lives.

LaFrance said when she visited with evacuees Wednesday, one man told her about his house floating away.

“He went in twice to save family members,” she said. “He lost his house, he lost his boat, he lost his snowmachines. He said he never wanted to go through that again.”

LaFrance said she’s asking all Anchorage residents to greet those who have been displaced with generosity and kindness, because they are going through something traumatic and have lost so much.

She said anyone wishing to donate can do so through the Alaska Community Foundation.

A massive airlift is underway in Western Alaska as Alaska National Guard planes and helicopters take people from villages devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

On Wednesday and Thursday, hundreds of people from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok boarded military transport planes headed for Anchorage, leaving their homes, belongings and communities behind.

Now, they’re not sure when or if they’ll be able to return.

Sitting on a green military cot at an Alaska Army National Guard hangar in Bethel, Luke Amik Jr. mourned his village.

“Kipnuk is our hometown, and we’ve been living there all our life. Everything is lost now,” he said. “All the memories … all the houses are gone.”

Amik was waiting for his turn to board a massive C-17 military transport plane ferrying survivors to shelters in Anchorage.

Water came within an inch of Amik’s home before it started to recede, he said. He watched other homes float by as wind-driven waters rose higher than they ever had in recorded history. One crashed into his house.

For Amik, it all just seems surreal.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “I still can’t believe what’s happening right now.”

Not everyone from Kipnuk and another hard-hit village, Kwigillingok, is going to Anchorage. Some are staying with family and friends in Bethel or surrounding villages.

Still others are staying behind.

“There’s about, maybe, 50 to 100 people in Kipnuk, and probably about 200 to 300 in (Kwigillingok) that are staying in the village,” said Lt. Col. Brendon Holbrook, commander of the Alaska Army National Guard.

It’s not just people in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok who need help, he said. The National Guard planned to send helicopters to Nightmute and Tuntutuliak for an environmental assessment on Thursday.

“While we’re on the ground there, we’ll let them know that we do have the ability to evacuate as necessary,” Holbrook said. “From what I understand, there are people out in those villages that are looking to come in to go to Anchorage as well.”

From there, their future is unclear.

Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state’s emergency response, said officials were first moving people out of harm’s way to large shelters, like those at the Alaska Airlines Center and Egan Center in Anchorage.

After that, Zidek said they’ll look for accommodations with some more privacy — hotel rooms, temporary apartments, that kind of thing.

“No one wants to stay in a big, giant room with cots,” Zidek said in an interview at KYUK in Bethel. “We understand that people can’t do that for very long, and we want to really find other solutions for them as fast as possible.”

The state is not ordering people to leave, he said. For those sticking around, responders are working to restore essential services like power, water and communications. After that, Zidek said National Guard members could start mucking out and repairing damaged homes, hopefully before winter.

Zidek encouraged everyone who suffered losses in the storm to register for the state’s individual assistance program. That’ll help emergency managers connect survivors with funding for housing, repairs, medical expenses and more, he said, and also help state officials coordinate assistance from volunteer groups like Samaritan’s Purse.

“If they register for that individual assistance, then we know what those needs are, and if our programs don’t cover it, we can reach out to all of these other partners that we have, and maybe we can address those needs,” Zidek said.

But recovery will take time.

Standing in line with her boyfriend and two daughters waiting to board the military transport plane, Kipnuk evacuee Reanna Jimmy recounted the terrifying night.

Around 3 a.m. Sunday, she got a call from her father. His house was floating free from its foundation.

Jimmy rushed outside to grab her four-wheeler. But floodwaters had already swept it away.

“I remember seeing the water and feeling very, very helpless,” she said. “For the sake of my girls, I tried to stay calm when we started floating and the water started coming in. I didn’t know where we were going.”

When the sun rose, she found her home had come to rest at the Kipnuk airport.

Jimmy said she’s grateful to be alive. Everyone from Kipnuk is, she said.

Like Amik, she can’t quite wrap her mind around what’s happened to her home.

“It feels like a really bad dream,” she said.

Jimmy said she’s not sure if she and her family will ever be able to return.

“If we do, I hope Kipnuk is located somewhere else,” she said.

The Alaska Federation of Natives convention, which is scheduled for this week, always focuses on issues most pertinent to local Indigenous communities. This year, a catastrophic storm that battered predominantly Alaska Native villages in Western Alaska is already the center of the conversations.

The remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend left at least one woman dead in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Two people are still missing.

“As we gather for this sharing and this collective convening, let us keep in mind those that are in harm’s way and those who are out there to be with them and to help them,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said at the beginning of the Elders & Youth conference, the traditional prologue to the main AFN event.

The storm has displaced more than a thousand people, who are sheltering at their local schools. Meanwhile, AFN and other local Indigenous organizations were looking for ways to help.

AFN was one of twelve mostly Indigenous organizations that formed the Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund to provide assistance to villages. On Thursday, AFN planned to hold a blanket dance fundraiser for the disaster. And on Friday, the group said they will host a donation drive to accept water, food, hygiene products and other necessities.

Roy Agloinga is president of the First Alaskans Institute, which hosts the Elders & Youth conference. He opened the conference with a speech about the destruction from the storm. He told the gathering that the whole state must come together to help.

“It’s easy to feel distant, but I ask you to lean in, because while the storm may be hundreds of miles away, the people affected are our neighbors, our friends and our family.”

Marilyn Attla, a healer from the Interior who participated in the Elders & Youth conference, encouraged people to pray and acknowledge the stress of the situation. She also invited attendees – especially young people– to talk about what they feel and consider visiting a healing station.

“The youth could learn a lot and get a lot of healing from these people here,” she said. “You have to make up your own mind to be resilient. Any type of loss that you’re going to go through in your life, any type of happening problem, you have to make up your own mind to overcome it.”

The Elders & Youth conference is running at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage through Wednesday. AFN is scheduled there from Thursday to Saturday.

Rhonda McBride contributed to this report.