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Senator from Alaska details massive storm that displaced more than 1,000 residents, urges federal support
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Summary
A senator speaking on the Senate floor described a weekend string of storms that inundated western Alaska villages, evacuated over 1,000 people to Anchorage-area shelters and destroyed dozens of homes; he urged federal action and praised rescuers working amid a government shutdown.
The senator from Alaska told the Senate that a series of powerful storms swept along the state’s western coast over the weekend, forcing evacuations of more than 1,000 people from at least 11 communities and leaving scores of homes uninhabitable. He said residents from villages such as Kipnuk and Quiggyllanggok were being airlifted hundreds of miles to Anchorage or moved toward Bethel for safety.
In prepared remarks on the Senate floor, the senator recounted images of flood surges, 100-mile-per-hour winds and homes lifted off foundations. He said the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 34 people, the Alaska Air Guard rescued eight and the Alaska National Guard rescued nine, and that one person was confirmed dead with two others feared deceased and one unaccounted for. "They are not homeless. They are evacuees," he said.
The lawmaker described mass sheltering in Anchorage, including use of the Alaska Airlines Center arena and a convention facility, and said about 300 people from Kipnuk were loaded onto a C-130 for evacuation to Anchorage. He estimated the arena could hold 350–500 people and the convention facility about 800, but emphasized these arrangements are temporary and many evacuees have lost homes that are not repairable.
The senator warned that logistical and seasonal constraints will complicate recovery. He said this part of Alaska is moving into winter, and the last fuel barge for the region has already left; he warned that construction and supply deliveries will not resume in the same way until spring. He provided an estimate that roughly 120 homes in Kipnuk are completely destroyed and about 40 might be repairable.
Linking the storm to broader environmental trends, he said reduced sea ice and warmer ocean waters can intensify storms that arrive in October. He cited past storms by name as context for what coastal communities are now facing.
The senator praised search-and-rescue teams and relief organizations named in his remarks (transcript lists "World Kitchen," Samaritan's Purse and the Red Cross) and stressed the strain posed by the ongoing government shutdown. He said rescue personnel were working at a time when pay had been uncertain and noted that the president had announced military and Coast Guard pay would be covered through the next pay period.
The senator closed by thanking those on the ground aiding evacuees and by calling for continued federal assistance to support immediate sheltering and longer-term resilience for remote Alaska communities. He then yielded the floor.
