Alaska News Nightly: Monday, October 20, 2025

Podcast: Alaska News Nightly – Alaska Public Media
Host: Wesley Early
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the aftermath of Typhoon Ha Long's destructive path across Western Alaska, highlighting the impacts on critical infrastructure, archaeological sites, and community life. It also covers statewide political protests, food security challenges in rural Alaska, and organizational changes within prominent Alaska Native institutions. With on-the-ground reporting and quotes from community leaders, the episode illustrates the adaptation and resilience of Alaskans in the face of adversity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Typhoon Ha Long Aftermath: Erosion, Infrastructure, and Archaeological Losses

[00:26–05:37]

• Quinahock Impact: The coastal village of Quinahock narrowly avoided the worst but faced erosion that threatened infrastructure and exposed archaeological artifacts.
• Erosion Threats:
  • 60 feet of shoreline lost to storm surge (Warren Jones, local Native corporation head).
  • Floodwaters reached town center, caused water line outages, and scattered boats/gillnets.
• Sewage Lagoon Danger:
  • Erosion brought raw sewage lagoon within a storm's reach of a catastrophic breach:

    “This is raw sewage we’re talking about. There’s no treatment, nothing.” — Warren Jones [02:28]

  • Jones urges inventive, urgent coastal reinforcement measures.
• Archaeological Devastation:
  • Nunakluk site, Alaska’s largest pre-contact Yupik archaeological site, exposed; artifacts scattered and lost:

    “It’s like you took our museum and sprinkled it out on the beach.” — Warren Jones [03:38]

  • Recovery teams, including lead archaeologist Rick Knecht, and over 30 villagers worked to recover artifacts (“armloads of what we can save” [04:37]).
  • Volunteer-led recovery is ongoing; need for larger preservation strategy.
• Ongoing Erosion:
  • Multiple vectors of erosion threaten the village, not just the ocean (from river, coast, and upland).

2. Animal Rescue Efforts Post-Storm

[05:37–09:44]

• Mass Human & Animal Evacuations in Kipnuk:
  • Residents forced to leave pets behind during military emergency airlift evacuations.
  • Bethel Friends of Canines (BFoC) orchestrated dog rescues with local pilots, teachers, and volunteers.
• Scale and Innovation:
  • Over 118 dogs processed through BFoC since the storm.
  • Boarding, fostering, and eventual reunification efforts span Bethel and Anchorage.
  • Shelter capacity is a key hurdle, met by community members' willingness to foster displaced pets:

    “Quite a few people stopped in and were like, let me take a dog, you know, and that has worked out the best.” — Jesselyn Elliott, BFoC Director [07:22]

• Human Touches:
  • Teachers stayed behind to care for remaining animals.
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski fostered two rescued dogs herself, pledging to reunite them with their families.

3. Statewide “No Kings” Protests and Political Developments

[09:44–13:22]

• Widespread Protests Against President Trump:
  • Over a dozen communities rallied for “No Kings” protests; over 2,000 in Anchorage.
  • Key theme: Federal negligence in climate emergency funding and infrastructure:

    "He took his chainsaws to Noah and blinded us to the weather. He took an axe to $20 million appropriated ... to protect coastal Alaskan communities from flooding." — Robin Beebe [10:12]

  • Personal empowerment and motivation drawn from collective action:

    “Seeing everyone else come out here... gives me motivation to keep calling people and trying to make a difference.” — Robin Beebe [10:59]

  • Sitka protest coincided with the historic U.S. acquisition of Alaska, drawing symbolism about power and self-determination.

    “We put people in power and we take people out of power.” — Jerry Depa [11:34]

• Congressional Race Developments:
  • Pastor Matt Schultz launches campaign against Rep. Nick Begich, pledging to “bridge the political divide.”
  • Schultz frames politics as “a construction zone” for the common good, critiquing divisive political culture [12:33].

4. Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Convention: Recovery, Resilience, and Leadership Transition

[13:22–19:38]

• AFN Calls for Federal Disaster Declaration:
  • Emergency resolution for Western Alaska post-typhoon was unanimously supported.
  • A call for a Western Alaska Emergency Response Hub headquartered in Bethel.

    "We have a lot of support from across the state, so on behalf of our region koyana to everyone." — Vivian Korthios, AVCP CEO [14:34]

• Leadership Transition – Honoring Anna Hoffman:
  • Emotional tributes as Hoffman steps down as AFN co-chair:

    “She represents all of us and all the good that is in all of us. So queana cheknuk for all your good work.” — Bev Hoffman [15:49] “This entire moment is not about one person. This entire moment is about generations of ancestors.” — Joe Nelson [16:01]

  • Hoffman lauded as a bridge-builder and an interpreter for generations:

    “Hoffman’s been a translator since she was born … I’m really hoping that all the kids who are moving ... find an Anna in their classroom.” — Mary Peltola [16:45]

  • Parting letter to her mother, Margaret Cook—one of AFN’s founders—emphasized unity beyond differences:

    “Your ability to get past individual, cultural and regional differences ... is a life lesson we are still learning to apply and emulate.” — Anna Hoffman [18:51]

5. Youth Programs and Organizational Funding Challenges

[19:38–20:36]

• Boys & Girls Club Southcentral Alaska Shuts Temporarily:
  • Funding shortfall due to donation slowdown and federal reimbursements delay after the government shutdown.
  • Focus on financial sustainability and donor engagement to “bridge the gap.”

    “Kids still need us.” — Susan Anderson, CEO [20:32]

6. Food Security in Remote Communities

[21:09–25:27]

• St. Paul Island’s Supply Chain Crisis:
  • Weeks-long weather grounded planes and left only store without staples (eggs, milk), forcing significant food spoilage:

    “Eggs were shorted and then milk too, stuff like that.” — Ben Bordakovsky [21:42]

  • $20,000 of groceries lost after delay; reliance on subsistence food highlighted.
• Self-Reliance & Innovation:
  • Nikolski’s five greenhouses—built due to weather-induced isolation—now central to food security and sovereignty.
  • Subsistence hunting/fishing remains vital for survival:

    “The only food that I had ... was the reindeer that I had put up and the salmon, but ... the dogs got all the salmon and I ate all the reindeer. And now I can't eat reindeer anymore.” — Tanya Lestenkopf [23:37]

  • Children gather eggs, pick produce, supporting both nutrition and tradition.
• Systemic Challenges:
  • Attempts at hydroponics and local agriculture face sustainability hurdles due to remoteness, cost, and climate.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's like running into a library or a museum that's on fire and we're just running out with armloads of what we can save.” — Warren Jones, on archaeological losses [00:19, 04:37]
• “The whole beach need to be reinforced by something ... We need to start thinking outside the box on this stuff.” — Warren Jones [02:48]
• “Our weather was so bad that we didn’t see a plane for like four months.” — Tanya Lestenkopf, Nikolski [23:25]
• “We’re simply doing good for the sake of doing good, and I think that’s a different lens.” — Matt Schultz [13:13]
• “Don’t worry too much. Like the salmon, they’ll find their way home to the Kuskokwim.” — Nicole Borromeo to Anna Hoffman [18:04]
• “We put people in power and we take people out of power.” — Jerry Depa [11:34]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Storm and Archaeological loss in Quinahock: [00:26–05:37]
• Displaced pets and animal rescue: [05:37–09:44]
• No Kings Protests/Political Rallies: [09:44–13:22]
• AFN Convention and Anna Hoffman Tribute: [13:22–19:38]
• Boys & Girls Club closure: [19:38–20:36]
• Food security on St. Paul & Nikolski: [21:09–25:27]

Conclusion

This episode powerfully captures the interconnected crises in rural Alaska following Typhoon Ha Long: the physical destruction of land and heritage, the displacement of people and animals, the fragility of food systems, and the political and communal efforts to respond and rebuild. The stories are grounded in the lived experiences and voices of Alaskans, underscoring both the adversity faced and the collective determination to endure and thrive.