Governor Dunleavy Concludes Trips to Regions Affected by the September 2022 Western Alaska Storm

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy returned Wednesday from a three-day trip to communities heavily impacted by the Western Alaska storm, the remnants of Typhoon Merbok.

“I am truly grateful for every Alaskan who stepped in to help their neighbors in a time of need,” said Governor Dunleavy. “I appreciate all of the support from individuals, FEMA, Coast Guard, Tribal entities, Native corporations, Red Cross, Salvation Army, the State Emergency Operations Center staff, and so many more. The State is grateful for our partners and community leaders who helped protect lives before, during, and after the storm. Thankfully, there are still no reported injuries or deaths at this time. Once the federal disaster declaration is approved, that will aid in reimbursements and additional resources for long-term recovery.”

Governor Dunleavy and his team, including Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ryan Anderson, and the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, visited Bethel, Scammon Bay, Hooper Bay, Newtok, Nome, Golovin, Elim, and Koyuk.

“This trip has been essential to understanding the scope of the damage across Western Alaskan communities and acting to properly support the effort,” said Maj. Gen. Saxe. “Our deployed force of more than 130 service members based out of Bethel and Nome are focused on getting out to these communities and sustaining the recovery process.”

“The storm surge and high winds last weekend damaged personal property, drinking water systems, airport weather equipment, fuel tanks, and both local and state roads,” said Commissioner Anderson. “Our maintenance workers and airport contractors went to work before the winds died down—removing debris from our airports and roads and repairing our airport lighting systems. Now we are bringing in inspectors, contractors, and construction teams to get the hardest hit roadways reopened and in good conditions before it gets colder. We’re also working with the local communities to connect them with the state and federal resources they need to repair their local roads.”

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