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Typhoon-Devastated Alaska Facing Hardships More Severe Than Most Americans Will Ever Comprehend

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By Alternet. Remnants of a powerful typhoon swept into Western Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta on Oct. 12, 2025, producing a storm surge that flooded villages as far as 60 miles up the river. The water pushed homes off their foundations and set some afloat with people inside, officials said. More than 50 people had to be rescued in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, hundreds were displaced in the region, and at least one person died.

Typhoon Halong was an unusual storm, likely fueled by the Pacific’s near-record warm surface temperatures this fall. Its timing means recovery will be even more difficult than usual for these hard-hit communities, as Alaska meteorologist Rick Thoman of the University Alaska Fairbanks explains.

Disasters in remote Alaska are not like disasters anywhere in the lower 48 states, he explains. While East Coast homeowners recovering from a nor’easter that flooded parts of New Jersey and other states the same weekend can run to Home Depot for supplies or drive to a hotel if their home floods, none of that exists in remote Native villages. . .

People are going to have really difficult decisions to make. Do they leave the community for the winter and hope to rebuild next summer?

There likely isn’t much available housing in the region, with the flooding so widespread on top of a housing shortage. Do displaced people go to Anchorage? Cities are expensive.

There is no easy answer. (Read more from “Typhoon-Devastated Alaska Facing Hardships More Severe Than Most Americans Will Ever Comprehend” HERE)

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Videos, Photos Show Devastating Aftermath of Typhoon in Alaska

By Men’s Journal. Hurricane-force winds have devastated swaths of western Alaska and decimated at least two towns amid intense flooding that has killed at least two people.

According to multiple reports, remnants of Typhoon Halong raised water levels 4 to 6 feet above normal high tide levels, and dozens of people needed to be rescued across the region, including some waiting for help on rooftops. Families along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have been displaced due to the powerful storm that triggered major coastal flooding.

Video taken in Bethel, Alaska, shows boats being swept away. Another video shows how the typhoon, which packed more than 100 MPH winds and previously ravaged Japan, brought catastrophic flooding to the coastal villages of Yup’ik, with homes being swept away and destroyed.

At this moment, authorities continue to work on how many exactly are accounted for, but at least one woman was found dead, and at least two people are missing.

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Christopher Culpepper described the situation in the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as “absolute devastation,” per The Associated Press. About 380 people live in Kwigillingok, an Alaska Native community.

(Read more from “Videos, Photos Show Devastating Aftermath of Typhoon in Alaska” HERE)

Experts Warn Hidden Earthquake Threat beneath North America Could Strike Fairbanks at Any Moment

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A previously quiet fault line beneath North America is now feared to be a ticking time bomb, and experts warn it could unleash a devastating earthquake with no warning, shaking parts of the US.

Canadian scientists have discovered that the Tintina Fault, located just 12 miles from Dawson City in the Yukon, has been silently building up underground pressure and may be on the verge of erupting in a massive quake.

The fault runs beneath highways, rivers, and critical infrastructure, and stretches into interior Alaska, raising fears it could send tremors into British Columbia, Alberta, and Montana, according to seismologists.

Dr Michael West, state seismologist at Alaska Earthquake Center, told the Daily Mail: ‘This new study shows it has been quietly building toward a potentially very large earthquake.’

‘It is one of the least studied fault systems in North America, and that needs to change,’ he added.

One section alone is approximately 81 miles long and could generate a magnitude 7.5 earthquake or greater, strong enough to shatter roads, destroy pipelines, and trigger landslides across the both Canada and the US. (Read more from “Experts Warn Hidden Earthquake Threat beneath North America Could Strike Fairbanks at Any Moment” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Russian Military Aircraft Enter Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone

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The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported Thursday that Russian military aircraft were detected in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday and Wednesday. NORAD said such activity “occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”

The ADIZ is a zone that extends outward from the sovereign air space of a nation, forming a buffer zone between sovereign and international air space. Planes that enter an ADIZ are identified and tracked to ensure they do not behave in a threatening or provocative manner.

NORAD said the Russian aircraft tracked on Tuesday and Wednesday did not attempt to enter either American or Canadian airspace.

Tensions along the northern frontier have been elevated since an incident in January where an unusually large number of Russian warplanes were spotted in the Arctic, prompting U.S. and Canadian fighters to scramble in response. (Read more from “Russian Military Aircraft Enter Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone” HERE)

Biden Plans Alaska National Guard Deployment to Texas Border, but Not to Support Governor Abbott

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President Joe Biden has initiated plans to deploy Alaska National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, a decision that appears to align with his administration’s approach to border control. The move has sparked concerns, particularly in Texas, where Governor Gregg Abbott has been actively securing the border using methods that include the installation of concertina wire atop shipping containers, colloquially referred to as “Operation Lone Star,” in a desperate attempt to stop the influx of illegal aliens into the state.

The decision to deploy National Guard troops takes a notable turn, as it seems geared towards supporting the federal government’s border control efforts, rather than fortifying the state-level security measures undertaken by Texas. President Biden’s move to nationalize a National Guard contingent is seen by many as a response to the left-leaning faction within his base, advocating for a more lenient approach to immigration and border policies. Biden evidently aims to allow more criminals and drugs through the southern border, further proving his ongoing attempts to destroy the country.

The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in January that the federal government could dismantle Governor Abbott’s razor wire while the legal battle over Texas’s rights to defend against a potential invasion unfolds.

The National Guard deployment plan, set for 2025, has raised suspicions, since Biden’s plan is set to take effect post-election. The Alaska National Guard has been directed to prepare helicopters and personnel for potential deployment in early 2025, providing aviation support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Alaskan Governor Mike Dunleavy, a supporter of Abbott’s border security efforts, was reportedly excluded from the decision-making process.

Recently, Governor Abbott emphasized that the new Ukraine funding bill, masquerading as a border bill, compromises the states’ rights to challenge the federal government within their own jurisdictions further adds to the complexity of the situation.

The Governor stated on X:

Texas stripped of powers in border security bill.

This is unacceptable.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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Military Leaders in Hawaii Look to Strengthen Forces in Alaska

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As U.S. relations fray with China and Russia, American military leaders in Hawaii are increasingly giving attention to their forces in Alaska.

Recently, U.S. Army Pacific’s Oahu-based commander, Gen. Charles Flynn, visited Alaska to observe training at the Alaska portions of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center—a series of training ranges in Hawaii and Alaska the Army is using to train troops for potential combat operations amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Pacific.

The training also takes place amid increasing concern by some American policymakers about China’s aspirations in the Arctic. . .

Chinese military forces aren’t strangers to the Aleutians. In 2021 the U.S. Coast Guard encountered Chinese warships moving near the island chain, and in September the Coast Guard again saw Chinese vessels near the Aleutians—this time joined by Russian warships. Though American forces watched them closely, U.S. officials stressed they did not violate any rules.

The U.S. military also regularly conducts operations near China, including the South China Sea—a critical trade route that more than a third of all international trade travels through. Beijing claims nearly the entire waterway as its exclusive territory and is locked in a series of disputes with neighboring countries over territorial and navigation rights. (Read more from “Military Leaders in Hawaii Look to Strengthen Forces in Alaska” HERE)

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Who Benefits from Alaskan’s Binding Caucuses?

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We’ve had many interesting legislative sessions in Alaska this last decade, but these last two years have really highlighted a unique situation we’re in. When I say unique, I mean that no other state has a binding caucus in their legislature, and in fact, some have laws against the concept. So what is a binding caucus? A caucus is just a group of legislators that agree on one or more issues who want to work together to help advance those issues. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. The best legislation comes through cooperation. There is usually one large caucus that determines leadership and the direction of each body of the legislature.

However Alaska’s type of binding caucus controls the whole body with a built-in commitment that says every member must vote for the capital and operating budget. They must also vote with leadership on every single technical process motion. The caucus is joined because of ‘quid pro quo’. The legislators joining the caucus get the benefits of powerful committee positions and extra staff. So what does this all mean?

First, the elected official must agree to vote for bills and motions up-front, up to two years in advance. This is before they’ve read the bill or heard the motion. Second, they have to vote that way even if it
hurts their district and constituents. Third, they must vote that way even if it violates their conscience. Finally, there is punishment for those who don’t vote as they are told. They can be thrown out of the
caucus, or as we saw this last session, lose most of their staff and their committee positions, which happened to three different Senators.

The main purpose for the binding caucus is to concentrate power in the hands of the leadership. Those who are accepted into leadership have the power to do anything they want. That’s how they were able to strip out the COVID stimulus that was voted into the budget. It’s how they were able to steal two-thirds of your PFD this year even though the votes were against them. The entire budget in the Senate was determined by the six members of leadership, so most districts had no say in the budget.

Alaska’s binding caucus is so much worse than that. The legislative leaders have decided that statute no longer applies to them. So when the Governor called a session in Wasilla in accordance with Alaska statute and Constitution, the Legislative leadership decided that they were above statute and they refused to meet anywhere but Juneau (where all their perks and lobbyists were). What’s “funny” is that that was the same statute that they had used a few years before to not meet in Juneau when Governor Walker called a special session and they voted to meet in Anchorage. So yeah, they obey the law when it works for them. After the governor changed his mind and everyone was in Juneau they punished the Senate Majority Leader for obeying the law and stripped her of her position. Remember, every time they choose to go over a 90-day session they are breaking statute, since the people voted in a 90-day session limit that hasn’t been revoked.

When I was on the Assembly, if we needed to do something different than what was in code; like waiving Title 16, then we brought forth an ordinance that said that, took public testimony on it, and voted on it publicly. In our Legislature, the leadership of the binding caucus just makes up rules as they go along, being completely unaccountable to the people and even breaking their own uniform rules of conduct.

This whole situation these last two years has really brought the integrity issues of the binding caucus to light, and so many of the Republican primaries around the State are happening because of the dissatisfaction with how our Legislators have been acting or how they have been cowed into inaction. For those in districts with these kind of primaries this is the critical issue that you need to ask your candidates about. It’s time to free our legislators to vote with integrity as representatives of the people in their districts. Please hold their feet to the fire.

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Russia Launches Biggest Ever War Games

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By AFP. Russia launched Tuesday what it called its largest ever military drills, with hundreds of thousands of troops taking part along with Chinese soldiers in a show of force NATO condemned as a rehearsal for “large-scale conflict.”

President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the games after hosting an economic forum in Russia’s far eastern city Vladivostok where his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is one of the prominent guests.

The week-long war games dubbed “Vostok-2018″(East-2018) “have kicked off” in far eastern Russia, the defence ministry said.

Taking part in the drills are around 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 military vehicles, 80 ships and 1,000 aircraft, helicopters and drones.

Some 3,500 Chinese troops will take part in the exercise. (Read more from “Russia Launches Biggest Ever War Games” HERE)

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Russian Bombers Flew Near Alaska, Intercepted by Air Force Jets, U.S. Military Says

By Fox News. The U.S. military said Wednesday that two Russian nuclear-capable bombers escorted by two fighter jets flew near Alaska on Sept. 11 before being intercepted by a pair of Air Force F-22 stealth fighter jets, according to a statement by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The Russian formation never entered U.S. or Canadian airspace, according to the statement.

NORAD said the Russian bombers and fighter jets were intercepted “west of mainland Alaska” by the American fighter jets at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday, but did not give a more precise location.

It’s the second time this month a pair of Russian bombers flew near Alaska. On Sept. 1, the bombers were intercepted by F-22 fighters after crossing into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone south of the Aleutian Islands. (Read more from “Russian Bombers Flew Near Alaska, Intercepted by Air Force Jets, U.S. Military Says” HERE)

Alaska’s Drew Phoenix Serves as a Warning: Conflict Is Inevitable

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To understand why the legislature refused to empower Human Rights Commissioner Drew Phoenix last week, and why that move is worth reflecting on, we should remember a court case that was decided years before Drew was even born. Trop v. Dulles was the first time the U.S. Supreme Court declared that a portion of the U.S. Constitution “must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.”

That assertion, that society is in fact continually maturing, and that the Constitution should be continually reinterpreted so as to keep up with society’s maturity, lies at the heart of the recent confirmation hearings involving Drew Phoenix. Let us set aside for a moment the question of whether or not society is in fact maturing, our communities are becoming more perfect, more safe, and crime is slowly but surely being eradicated, year by year. Let us assume for a moment that all of that is true.

The question that immediately arises is which of the three branches of government is empowered to change our state law to reflect these changes in society? In the case of Drew Phoenix we have three possible answers that reflect each of Alaska’s three branches of government: 1) The Alaska Human Rights Commission, made up of appointees that fall under the executive branch, 2) The Alaska Supreme Court, made up of appointees that fall under the judicial branch, or 3) Alaska’s elected lawmakers, who comprise the legislative branch (Hint: We refer to them as “lawmakers” because under our current form of government all lawmaking power is reserved exclusively to public officials who have been directly elected by the people).

That last distinction is a very important one. Law puts limits on personal freedom and can bankrupt you and send you to prison if you transgress those limits. Because of this, no just law can be made without the consent of those who will be bound by it, either directly or through their elected representatives. If you look back far enough in American history, you will see that we once fought a bloody 7-year war over this very issue. The power to create laws and taxes is too dangerous to be wielded by unelected officials.

Heck, it’s bad enough when it’s wielded by the elected officials we’ve already got. If they wield that power against Alaskans for the benefit of special interests, at least we have the ability to elect a new governor and a new legislature next year. Without that right, we end up with masters whom we have no power to challenge, and no right to question—Like, say, the members of the Alaska State Human Rights Commission.

As unelected heads of a quasi-judicial agency, commissioners on the Alaska State Human Rights Commission are entirely out of reach of the public, and serve longer terms than the governor. These are simply the facts. The question the legislature was asked to decide last week was whether or not members of the commission should also have the power to remake our state laws. When you are voting on whether or not to confirm an appointee who has been openly seeking to join the commission for that very purpose, it is quite difficult to separate the individual from the plan they are pursuing.

Drew Phoenix has been a tireless advocate for increasing legal rights for the LGBT and transgender community. As a dedicated social justice warrior, Drew worked for 4 years for the ACLU, and a further 3 years for Identity, Inc., whose mission is “to advance Alaska’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender) community through advocacy, education and connectivity”. Drew was appointed as a human rights commissioner shortly after leaving Identity in September.

As a political activist, Drew has long promoted changing state law to make Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender a protected class. And there is a bill in the legislature today (Senate Bill 72) which would do exactly that. But efforts to pass such laws in Alaska, and in Pennsylvania and many other states, have consistently failed year after year. Having failed to achieve such changes through the political process, LGBT activists are now attempting to circumvent the lawmaking process by seeking appointment to human rights commissions and, once there, simply “reinterpreting” the law as though they had been successful in changing the law through the legislature.

During the legislative confirmation process, Drew explained that while state law has “not been interpreted yet to include certain things”, i.e. gender identity, “the commission would be within its authority to” add them, and it should. It could do so by redefining the meaning of the word “sex” to not only include sex, but also to include any form of gender identity or “expression”, just as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission did last month.

If your legislators permit it, this will soon be enshrined as the new frontier of lawmaking, and it will be done by unelected officials whose names most Alaskans will never know. If those unelected officials happen to be members of your political party, or are committed to causes that you personally care about, you may be tempted to see this as a good thing. Certainly in the short term, it can appear that way. Perhaps you applauded when the EPA redefined puddles of water as “waters of the United States” and granted itself the power to regulate them. But there is a terrible cost to be paid anytime we empower unelected bureaucrats to rewrite law and then enforce the laws that they have rewritten.

That cost is consent. Where is the opportunity for Alaskans to refuse consent to the new laws being rewritten and continually reinterpreted by judges and bureaucrats, whom Alaskans did not elect, and the public is often unable to remove from office? Referendums permit the public to reject bad laws, but they only apply to new state laws that the legislature actually passes. As messy and dysfunctional as modern politics often is, it still preserves within it the right for each of us to forcefully object on Election Day when elected officials become too closely tied to special interests, and lose sight of what is best for Alaska.

Americans lost that right once, long ago, and the result was a violent, 7-year war to regain it. On this Memorial Day Weekend, the prospect that Americans might ever have to relive such a chapter makes even the most unpleasant aspects of politics seem a blessing in comparison.

Thank your legislators for voting in a small, but tangible, way to preserve your right to question and to put limits on the power of a bureaucracy that already runs too much of our lives. And while you’re at it, ask them if they wouldn’t mind returning more of that freedom to you next time they are in Juneau. 668,000 Americans died so that you could enjoy it. May we be grateful this Memorial Day Weekend for those who fought, and those who died, and the price they paid so that succeeding generations might continue the American experiment in self-government.

(For more from the author of “Alaska’s Drew Phoenix Serves as a Warning: Conflict Is Inevitable” please click HERE)

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Hearing Set on Bill to Legalize Doctor-Prescribed Suicide in Alaska

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A hearing has been set for March 28 at 3 p.m. on a bill that aims to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide in Alaska. House Bill 54, sponsored by Anchorage Democrat Rep. Harriet Drummond would permit doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients for the purpose of suicide.

The upcoming hearing will include “testimony by invitation only,” which means that testimony from the general public will be heard at a later date.

Bill sponsor, Drummond, is expected to give a general overview of the bill at the March 28 hearing in the House Health & Social Services Committee, after which, members of the committee can ask questions of the sponsor. Though verbal testimony from the public will not be heard until later, written testimony can be submitted at any time. Such comments are sometimes utilized by committee members in framing the issues when asking questions of the bill’s sponsor during the hearing.

In the case of HB 54, opponents of the practice include physicians and faith leaders who believe that patients with terminal illness need proper care, not destruction.

Alaska’s highest ranking Catholic prelate who leads 30,000 Catholics in Southcentral Alaska — Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne — has called doctor-prescribed suicide “a violation of principles of good medicine.”

Archbishop Etienne siad that, in the face of suffering health care should strive for the “elimination of as much suffering as we possibly can through moral practices that respect that dignity and sanctity of human life, but to help people to take their own life is a violation of principles of good medicine.”

The Alaska bill is part of a national push by an outside, multi-million-dollar operation called Compassion & Choices, formerly the Hemlock Society. To date, doctor-prescribed suicide — euphemistically called “medical aid in dying” and “death with dignity” — is legal in six states.

Many patient and disability advocacy organizations — such as Access Alaska — oppose doctor-prescribed suicide because it targets vulnerable citizens who need care but are pushed to die.

“When people with disabilities see themselves as a burden, without worth or dignity, as taught or experienced in society, the option for assisted suicide becomes more of an attractive option,” Doug White, executive director of Access Alaska told the Catholic Anchor. “We teach, advocate, support and foster the belief that all people have intrinsic value to themselves, their family and their community.”

Drummond has argued that doctor-prescribed suicide should be available to Alaskans with a “terminal” condition or who are expected to die within six months — though such predictions are notoriously unreliable and could include people with chronic illness or disabilities not receiving appropriate treatment — and who are “experiencing so much pain that their quality of life is completely degraded,” though the bill does not specify that a person must be in pain to request lethal drugs.

But pain is not among the top reasons for taking lethal drugs. According to the Oregon Health Authority’s “Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports,” in 2015, over 90 percent of patients cited “losing the ability to engage in activities making life enjoyable” and “losing autonomy,” and 48 percent cited being a “burden” on family, friends or caregivers.

Most victims are vulnerable elders. “It seems solitary, dependent and chronically ill seniors are prime candidates for assisted suicide in Oregon,” the U.S. bishops’ conference notes. Physical and psychological pain is treatable. According to a report by the National Institutes of Health: “…if all patients had access to careful assessment and optimal symptom control and supportive care, the suffering of most patients with life-threatening illnesses could be reduced sufficiently to eliminate their desire for hastened death.” (For more from the author of “Hearing Set on Bill to Legalize Doctor-Prescribed Suicide in Alaska” please click HERE)

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That’s Not Carry-On! Five-Foot Snake Loose on Alaska Flight

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Anna McConnaughy was flying to Alaska’s largest city when the announcement came over the intercom: a passenger on a previous flight had brought a pet snake on board . . .

“The pilot came, and said, ‘Guys, we have some loose snake on the plane, but we don’t know where it is,’” McConnaughy said Tuesday . . .

A little boy, one of seven passengers on the Ravn Alaska commuter flight Sunday from the Alaska village of Aniak to Anchorage, was climbing on his seat when he spotted the slumbering snake. It was lying partially covered by a duffel bag near the back of the plane. (Read more from “That’s Not Carry-On! Five-Foot Snake Loose on Alaska Flight” HERE)

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