Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, said her focus now is on helping the people of Kwigillingok, she told Alaska’s News Source in the remnants of the village following the impact of former typhoon Halong
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sen. Lisa Murkowski described the widespread devastation she witnessed across Western Alaska during her speech Saturday at the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference, detailing how typhoon Halong created one of the largest emergency evacuations in state history, including the hardest hit villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok .
Murkowski told Alaska’s News Source in an interview detailing her priorities during her visit to Kwigillingok. “We’re gonna have the opportunity to talk about what the future holds, but right now it’s shelter being safe.” Standing before hundreds, if not thousands, of Alaska Native people at the AFN conference, Murkowski described in detail the images of her trip to the affected communities.On Day 18 of the government shutdown, Murkowski was frank in her AFN speech about her frustration with Washington, D.C. politics. “You have both sides that are blaming the other side for the situation. Instead of blaming the other side, let’s solve the issue,” she said.she said would “avert government shutdown,” which includes $30 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an extension of enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the beginning of August and three appropriations bills. Her speech on the final day of the Alaska Federation of Natives convention came the same day as the third mass mobilization of the anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protest movement. 17 different protests took place across Alaska, many protesters telling Alaska’s News Source they blame Republicans for the shutdown. Republicans say Democrats have refused to pass what they call a “clean continuing resolution” in the Senate. The bill would maintain current government spending levels without policy changes or additions. The resolution needs 60 votes to end the government shutdown. With almost all Republicans voting for it , Democrats would need to provide the remaining votes. Democratic leaders dispute that characterization. They argue the Republican bill isn’t truly “clean” because it ignores Democratic demands to restore nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire Dec. 31. Democrats say the credits would preserve health insurance for 3.8 million people.The Senate must gather enough Democrats to come across the aisle to vote on the House-approved bill A new bill would have to be passed by both chambers. Once passed through the legislature, the President will also need to sign the proposal for it to become law.Murkowski said there was momentum in preventive action to mitigate storm damage with a $20 million EPA grant given at the end of the Biden administration. The grant cancellation,“That grant, given its timing, would not have been able to make a difference for this storm, but if you don’t get started, you’ll never get finished,” she said. “You never get the protections, so we got some work to do.”Alaska’s News Source reached out to both the offices of Dunleavy and Newsom Saturday. Newsom’s offices were closed as of publication.Murkowski and other members of the delegation haven’t proposed a clear direction for long-term solutions to help these communities or mitigate future damage from what she has characterized as continually frequent and worsening storms. “This can’t be Washington, D.C. telling you, YK region, this is what your emergency response is going to look like,” she said in a press conference following her remarks. “This has to be developed from within the region.”“I recently spoke with the CEO of , Vivian Korthuis, about her idea of establishing a Western Alaska emergency response hub, an inter-agency, inter-tribal, federal and state partnership to strengthen coordination for future disasters,” the senator said at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference Friday. “We think this is a really good idea and we’re looking into it.”But while in Kwigillingok she also said it’s time to take a real look at how to adapt to these storms, saying they’re only getting worse. “Whether you want to call it climate change or whether you don’t, the reality is what has always happened, which are winter storms, are getting worse and the impact on the region is intensifying,” she said in Kwigillingok. “We’ve talked about what that plan might be and we’re not at a place where we can say we know what our answer is.”Within the destruction of Halong, Murkowski said her survey showed her how life is still shining through. “I walked by one house that was devastating, looked in the window and here’s two Christmas cactuses,” she said. “Here, in the midst of all this devastation and just darkness, was the life of a plant. Two plants.”“To Nelly from Kipnuk, know that I have your Christmas cactuses and I want to return them to you because I want you to see them bloom, as they will.”‘A miracle’: Toddler allegedly abducted by mother reunites with family after lawmakers step inNorth Pole man killed in head-on collisionOktoberfest returns to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Gov. Newsom casts blame on Trump administration for Halong impact, citing ‘cuts to vital infrastructure’
Halong Former Typhoon Western Alaska Lisa Murkowski Kwigillingok Kipnuk
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