Alaska

Images reveal Alaskan village battered by post-storm floods

Published

2 hours ago

August 21, 2024

Images reveal Alaskan village battered by post-storm floods

The small indigenous Yup’ik village of Napakiak has been reeling from a series of powerful storms that have brought catastrophic flooding to the Alaskan community over the past week.

Residents were forced to scramble to secure their homes on Sunday after heavy rains caused the Kuskokwim River to suddenly swell, sending floodwaters rushing into the village.

Vehicles had to be moved to higher ground as currents washed through the town.

The water level rose over 3 feet, trapping numerous people in their homes despite them being elevated above the ground.

The village of Napakiak, Alaska, flooded after heavy rains and erosion over the weekend. Several people became stuck in their homes as the river water encroached on the area, which is home to 350 people.

Job Hale/AP

Residents being rescued from floodwaters — Residents are rescued from floodwaters in a front loader in Napakiak, Alaska. Local minister Job Hale was on hand to help people get to safety after the Kuskokwim River engulfed the village.

Job Hale/AP

Job Hale, the minister of the local Armory of God Baptist Church, was taken by surprise when flooding occurred outside the usual spring and fall seasons for which the community typically prepares, AP reported.

Using his front-loader tractor, Hale stepped in to rescue several residents who were stranded in their homes by the rising water.

He made several trips, transporting people to safety by having them climb into the bucket of his tractor to be lifted out of the flooded area.

The edge of Napakiak sits less than 50 feet from the Kuskokwim River, and erosion is marching up the banks 25 to 30 feet per year toward the community’s well water source and school building.

The floods forced the cancellation of a farewell party at the village school, which had to be closed due to its perilous location near the rapidly eroding riverbank.

Buildings submerged in Napakiak, Alaska. Three storms in the space of a week, coupled with severe erosion, left the village vulnerable to flooding.

Job Hale/AP

The erosion is partially driven by climate change, as warming temperatures cause permafrost—normally frozen soil—to thaw, destabilizing riverbanks.

In response to the urgent threat, Napakiak has secured $25 million from the Department of the Interior’s Voluntary Community-Driven Relocation Program, as well as state funding for the construction of a new school.

This funding will contribute to Napakiak’s ambitious 50-year plan to relocate the entire village to a new site two miles away from the eroding riverbank.

Buildings submerged by overflowing Kuskokwim River — Water from an overflowing Kuskokwim River reaches the sides of buildings in Napakiak, Alaska. A bold 50-year plan is underway to relocate the village to safer ground.

Job Hale/AP

The total relocation costs are projected to exceed $200 million.

This weekend’s flood was the second storm to hit the Bethel region in recent days, with a third storm—the remnants of Typhoon Ampil—bringing more precipitation and strong winds to western Alaska on Tuesday.

No major injuries or significant property damage have been reported so far.

Residents are now bracing for the possibility of additional flooding as more rain is expected in the next few days.

A map shows the location of Napakiak, a village in western Alaska.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about flooding? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

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Alaska

Man attacked by bear is accidentally shot trying to fend off animal in Alaska

Published

9 hours ago

August 21, 2024

Press Room

Man attacked by bear is accidentally shot trying to fend off animal in Alaska

Grizzly bear mauls 2 college wrestlers in Wyoming

01:52

A hunter in Alaska was hospitalized after being mauled by a brown bear and shot during an effort to fend it off, authorities said Monday.

The bear attack occurred Saturday on the Kenai Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage, Alaska State Troopers said.

The hunter, a 32-year-old man, was seriously injured both in the mauling and in the shooting. He and a hunting companion opened fire, and he was shot in the leg. It was not immediately clear who fired the shot that struck him, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said in an email.

The bear was killed by the hunters during the attack, officials said.

DeSpain said the mauling occurred in a remote area off the Resurrection Pass trail. The circumstances that led to it were not known. The injured hunter, whose identity was not immediately released, was flown by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital, troopers said in a statement. Officials did not provide any details on his condition.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, brown bears and grizzly bears are both common names for the same species, Ursus arctos, but the main difference is their geographic location. Brown bears typically live along the southern coast of the state while grizzlies can be found in the northern and interior parts of the state.

A Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is walking and looking for — A brown bear (Ursus arctos) is walking and looking for salmon on a beach along the shore of Lake Crescent in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska, on Aug. 22, 2019.

Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

The attack in Alaska comes just days after a black bear mauled and injured a 3-year-old girl in a tent at a private campground in Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park.

The incident also marks at least the second time in less than two years that a hunter has been inadvertently shot during a bear attack. In October 2022, a hunter accidentally shot himself in the leg while trying to fight off a grizzly bear attack in Wyoming.

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Alaska

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger moves one step closer to reality

Published

16 hours ago

August 20, 2024

Press Room

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger moves one step closer to reality

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – Alaska Airlines announced on August 19, that they had passed a major milestone in their actions to acquire Hawaiian Airlines.

Alaska Airlines’ plan has cleared the U.S. Justice Department following the closure of a period for antitrust regulators to investigate the merger deal. That is the official situation, as there have been no moves to block the merger with a lawsuit.

The airlines must now get approval from the U.S. Transportation Department before the $1.9 billion deal can continue.

“These include plans to maintain the Hawaiian Airlines brand and local jobs and continue providing strong service between, to, and from the Islands,” said Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, in a press release from Alaska Airlines.

“Hawaiian’s shares surged more than 11% on Tuesday after Alaska’s announcement,” according to CNBC.

Download the Newscenter Fairbanks apps today and stay informed with the latest news and weather alerts.

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Alaska

JetBlue will now status match Alaska, American, Delta and United elites – The Points Guy

Published

23 hours ago

August 20, 2024

Press Room

JetBlue will now status match Alaska, American, Delta and United elites – The Points Guy

If you hold elite status in a major U.S. airline loyalty program, JetBlue is offering you to try the benefits of elite Mosaic status in its TrueBlue program even if you’ve never stepped onto a JetBlue aircraft.

Elite members of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta Air Lines SkyMiles and United Airlines MileagePlus programs can match their existing status to JetBlue TrueBlue and will be granted Mosaic 1 or 2 status in the TrueBlue program for three months. They can also extend their status through the end of 2025 by earning “tiles.”

Here’s how the offer works.

JetBlue Mosaic elite status: What it is and how to earn it

Which existing status will JetBlue’s TrueBlue match?

The current JetBlue status match is offering to match the following existing elite status levels:

	Match to TrueBlue Mosaic 1	Match to TrueBlue Mosaic 2
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Status	MVP MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K MVP Gold 100K Advertisement
American Airlines AAdvantage Status	Gold Platinum	Platinum Pro Executive Platinum ConciergeKey Advertisement
Delta Air Lines Medallion Status	Silver Gold	Platinum Diamond Delta 360° Advertisement
United Airlines MileagePlus Status	Premier Silver Premier Gold	Premier Platinum Premier 1K Global Services Advertisement

Mosaic 1 status members receive:

Priority boarding
Priority security (where available)
Dedicated check-in lines and phone support
Same-day switches with no fee or fare difference, starting 24 hours before departure
Two checked bags free
Even More Space seats at check-in at no extra cost
Beer, wine, and liquor (up to three drinks per Mosaic member per flight)
Avis status match (coming later in 2024)
A Perks You Pick benefit of Mint Suite seat selection on aircraft with Mint Suites installed

Mosaic 2 status members receive all of the same perks as Mosaic 1, in addition to:

Select Even More Space seats at booking at no extra cost
A Perks You Pick benefit of a pet fee waiver, allowing you to travel with your cat or small dog at no extra cost

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How do I apply for a JetBlue status match?

First, sign up for TrueBlue, which you can do online for free.

Then, apply online by submitting a screenshot of the existing frequent flyer program profile you wish to match from, showing your full name and elite status level. If you wish to match to Mosaic 2, you’ll also need to include your most recent boarding pass or flight confirmation email showing the existing status you are matching from.

Matches can take up to four weeks to process, and you’ll be notified by email if your match is successful. There is no end date to this current status match offer.

How do I extend my matched JetBlue Mosaic status?

Mosaic status is usually earned through “tiles.” You can earn 1 tile for every $100 spent on JetBlue flights, Vacation and Paisly by JetBlue, or 1 tile for every $1,000 spent on any JetBlue-branded credit card.

To keep Mosaic 1 status, those who have been successfully matched will need to earn 10 tiles within the first three months to retain the status through 2025, or for those who wish to keep Mosaic 2, you’ll need to earn 25 tiles.

Those matched statuses that earn 40 tiles within the three months will be upgraded to Mosaic 3 status through 2025, which offers four certificates that allow you to upgrade to Mint business class for no additional cost (subject to availability; the number of upgrade certificates depends on the flight length), as well as all the Mosaic 1 and 2 perks.

Bottom line

It’s great to see a new ongoing status match offer from JetBlue. If you have built elite status in a competing program but perhaps are unhappy with that program, or your circumstances have changed, like moving to a location where JetBlue is more dominant than your usual carrier, this will give you the chance to try JetBlue and their TrueBlue loyalty program, without having to sacrifice all of your elite benefits.

Once matched, if you like what you see, earning tiles in the program can extend or upgrade your Mosaic status through the end of 2025.

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