Halong

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and chair U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski visited Bethel this week to hear directly from tribal leaders and agency heads about the federal government’s response to ex-typhoon Halong and the path forward. Testimony showed that the need for better planning and cooperation between tribes and agencies is immediate.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and chair Sen. Lisa Murkowski will appear in person at the YKHC hospital on May 6 to hear from leaders and community members about disaster response, mitigation, resilience, and relocation programs serving tribal communities. The hearing is open to the public.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski held a roundtable in Anchorage with Interior Department officials on May 5 to hear from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok leaders about challenges the communities still face and ideas for how to move forward.

Hundreds of people from Western Alaska spent the winter in hotel rooms around the city.

At a recent science conference in Bethel, Elders and community members spoke about changes in weather patterns they’ve experienced on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

The Native Village of Napaimute ice road crew announced that beginning Friday April 10, they will no longer be maintaining the Kuskokwim Ice road for the 2026 season.

FEMA says the deadline does not affect home inspections still being scheduled. People who have already applied for state, federal, and small business loans will still be able to file appeals and update their applications online after April 3.

A federal court ordered FEMA to reinstate the program after 20 states sued over its closure.

Fuel usage at the community's power plant spiked following severe damage from ex-typhoon Halong. Now, the power utility is searching for a way to pay back an emergency fuel loan needed to make ends meet until spring.

More than 92% of adult tribal members that the tribe was able to contact by phone in recent weeks voted to relocate. Of two potential relocation sites located between Kipnuk and Chefornak, two-thirds said they’d prefer an option closer to the historical settlement of Cicing.