All evacuees recently sent to mass shelters in Anchorage after a devastating Western Alaska storm forced them from their homes have been placed in longer-term, non-congregate housing, officials said Friday.

“This transition will help families as they continue to put their lives back together,” said Bryan Fisher, director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in a statement.

Earlier in October, ex-Typhoon Halong displaced scores of residents from their Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities after the storm’s powerful winds and flooding severely damaged or destroyed homes and infrastructure across the region.

A mass evacuation effort resulted in more than 650 people arriving in Anchorage in the storm’s wake, with many ending up in mass shelters at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center and Egan Civic and Convention Center while officials looked for more suitable long-term shelter situations.

On Friday, the State Emergency Operations Center said it had finished moving all evacuees — 379 people in total — who had been staying at Anchorage’s two mass shelters into hotels and closed the spaces.

Evacuees who had been sheltering in Bethel have also been placed in non-congregate housing, the State Emergency Operations Center said in a separate Friday statement.

Some shelters will remain in “standby status for the coming days” to accept potential evacuees before placement into non-congregate settings, according to the State Emergency Operations Center.

Officials started moving hundreds of evacuees from congregate shelter spaces in Anchorage into longer-term housing earlier this week while in Western Alaska, crews raced to clean up and winterize communities, or conduct basic repairs in villages, so displaced residents can start returning home.

It’s unclear how long evacuees will remain in the long-term shelters, said Vivian Korthuis, CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents.

“It’s very stressful right now, but in the long run, things will work out, and we just need to keep on moving forward,” she said.

AVCP, a regional nonprofit that supports and advocates for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s 56 tribes, held a media briefing Friday afternoon to detail its current relief work in affected communities and long-term disaster response priorities.

The organization, alongside others like the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., Alaska Organized Militia and Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, has been working to make homes and communities livable since officials wrapped up mass evacuations.

“These relief efforts are not a short-term thing,” said AVCP spokesperson Dendra Chavez. “This is going to be a long-term effort that we’re all working on.”

While work continues in villages for displaced residents to return, officials said they will continue to help evacuees who have moved into longer-term shelter housing in Anchorage access disaster recovery services and financial assistance.

Other resources, like a Midtown Anchorage disaster resource assistance center, will also remain open, Fisher said in a statement.

“We will continue to work with organizations providing services to storm survivors to ensure their needs are met,” he said.

As of Friday, 1,177 people affected by the storm had applied for state disaster recovery aid, while more than 320 had applied for individual federal aid unlocked by President Donald Trump’s Oct. 22 federal disaster declaration, according to a State Emergency Operations Center statement.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The first African-American female Judge appointed to the Alaska Judiciary is retiring this week — Judge Pamela Scott Washington.

Former Governor Sean Parnell appointed Washington to the Anchorage District Court on August 9, 2010, making history in the process. Prior to Washington. Superior Court Judge Larry Card was the first Black Judge in the state.

“I hadn’t thought about being special because I was the first African-American woman. And I got educated by that from the newspaper,” Washington said.

Washington’s career, trailblazing status, and retirement were celebrated at a party on Thursday evening, hosted by the Alaska Black Caucus.

In the span of her 15 years on Alaska’s Court Bench, Washington served as the Presiding Judge Mental Health Court, and Co-Chair of the Alaska Supreme Court Fairness, Diversity, and Equality Commission. Shortly before going into retirement, Washington was sworn in as the newest president of the National Association of Women Judges.

Reflecting back on her time on the bench, and her nearly 40 years in the legal industry, Washington said she never anticipated being a “trailblazer” when she started, but relishes the impact that she made.

“People experience justice, not just… it’s just not just done,” Washington said. “It’s seen, it’s experienced, it’s felt, and I think if my colleagues recognize that it’s the entire… the administration of justice is a whole process.”

“And so sometimes you can just be kind. People might not like your decision, but they’re going to remember how they experienced you.”

Having served for so long, working with judges and lawyers across the country, even serving on an advisory committee of only five American judges to Pope Francis, Washington’s resume is lengthy. Of all that, Washington said the highlight of her career is the community she served, speaking at schools, and leaving an impact outside of the courtroom.

“I think the thing that I’ve learned the most is that being a public servant and having people recognize you in the grocery store, letting them see that you’re just like them,” Washington said. “We’re doing life the same, doing life together. I think that’s how people trust the system better, if we could be more transparent, more open.”

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President Donald Trump has suggested a possible oil and gas deal for Alaska with China following his meeting with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday: “A very large scale transaction may take place concerning the purchase of oil and gas from the great state of Alaska.”

Why It Matters

China has previously avoided purchasing U.S. crude oil, and has been reselling U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) since early this year. America only accounted for around five percent of China’s LNG imports and two percent of its crude oil imports in 2024, according to Chinese customs data. Trump’s announcement indicates a change in China’s trade policy. 

It comes after trade tensions escalated rapidly between the U.S. and China this year, with tariffs being imposed by both nations. 

This has included China’s 44 percent tariff on U.S. soybean exports, which was a huge blow to American farmers. Soybeans make up about 14 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports, making them America’s most valuable foodstuff sold abroad. 

Trump also threatened earlier this month to impose an additional 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods starting in November following China’s tightening restrictions on rare earths exports.

What To Know

Trump said on Truth Social that China had agreed to “begin the process of purchasing” American energy, and added that Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum would be meeting to see if a deal “can be worked out.”

The president also said that President Xi had authorized China to begin purchasing “massive amounts” of soybeans and other farm products. “Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors,” he said. 

Trump added that China had agreed to “openly and freely” continue the flow of rare earths and critical minerals, and that Beijing would “work diligently” with the U.S. to stop the flow of fentanyl.

Trump has previously said that China had not done enough to prevent the flow of precursor chemicals – which are used to make fentanyl – into the U.S.

It comes after the Trump administration announced last week that it had finalized plans to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, reviving a decades-long political and environmental battle over one of America’s most pristine and contested landscapes.

The move fulfilled a campaign promise by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to restore energy exploration in the Arctic region.

What People Are Saying

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I had a truly great meeting with President Xi of China. There is enormous respect between our two countries, and that will only be enhanced with what just took place. We agreed on many things, with others, even of high importance, being very close to resolved.

“I was extremely honored by the fact that President Xi authorized China to begin the purchase of massive amounts of soybeans, sorghum, and other farm products. Our farmers will be very happy! In fact, as I said once before during my first Administration, farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors. I would like to thank President Xi for this!”

What Happens Next

Trump said that Wright and Burgum will be meeting to work on the details of the deal, but it is not yet clear when the discussions will take place.