Halong

Burt Paul and Benjamin Kugtsun, two of those who remained in Kipnuk, reflect on living through the October 2025 storm, their lifelong friendship, and the reasons they stayed behind in the first part in a series from Bethel-based photojournalist Katie Baldwin Basile.

The tribe originally applied for the declaration in January, several months after an October 2025 storm destroyed an estimated 90% of homes and led to the mass evacuation of nearly all of the community’s roughly 1,000 residents.

The increase would have been limited to disaster relief during the first 90 days after the storms. It would have covered the bulk of costs related to debris removal and emergency protective measures, costs that the state says reached $20 million in the first weeks after ex-typhoon Halong.

Rep. Nellie Jimmie and Sen. Lisa Murkowski call for government support for Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. The Alaska House passed a resolution to support their decision to relocate.

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.