Alaska Senate backs Kipnuk, Kwigillingok relocation after Typhoon Halong

The Alaska Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday backing the decisions of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok to relocate after Typhoon Halong devastated western Alaska communities last year.

Committee Substitute for House Joint Resolution 46 passed 20-0 and was returned to the House for transmission to the governor, according to the official legislative bill record.

Typhoon Halong hit western Alaska in September last year. The storm displaced residents in Kipnuk and other coastal villages. The damage prompted federal and state action to help affected communities.

The resolution recognizes the communities' decisions to relocate. It affirms the right of Alaska Native communities to self-determination and urges full state and federal support for relocation.

Sen. Lyman Hoffman carried the resolution on the Senate floor. He said community members in Kwigillingok had voted overwhelmingly to relocate to Kipnuk.

Hoffman said relocation efforts face several problems. No central agency coordinates the work. No dedicated funding source exists. FEMA support has limits.

The resolution does not itself fund relocation. It puts the Legislature on record supporting the communities' decisions and calling for state and federal help.