Opinion: Typhoon Halong’s aftermath revealed Alaska at its best

As we enter this holiday season, it is important to recognize and give thanks to the countless Alaskans who helped in Western Alaska’s emergency response to Typhoon Halong. In doing so, you helped preserve the dignity of your fellow Alaskans in need.

At the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. (YKHC), we had medical, behavioral health, construction and remote maintenance teams who worked very long hours and slept in affected villages. We shipped tens of thousands of pounds of critical supplies throughout the region. We set up and managed the Bethel shelter, its travel, meal preparation, laundry and cleaning operations. In future months, we will continue to lead water and sewer rebuilding efforts.

Since October, the daily local/state/federal emergency operations center has been hosted by YKHC at the Bethel hospital. YKHC helped lead and coordinate the local emergency operations center with other local agencies until the beginning of November and has since transitioned out of that role. YKHC assisted the Alaska National Guard and Coast Guard and evacuated more than 100 residents from affected villages to safe places of their choosing with more than 50 YKHC charter flights. We shipped more than 22,000 bottles of water, 12,000 ready-to-eat meals and other supplies throughout the region. Most of that was accomplished within the first five days after the storm.

We hosted Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. Lyman Hoffman, Rep. Nellie Jimmie, Speaker Bryce Edgmon, and other state and federal officials at YKHC for disaster coordination meetings. The state emergency operations center moved more than 600 evacuees out of the shelters to hotels and other noncongregate lodging by Oct. 31 — which for disasters, must be in record time. Hundreds more were taken in by family members from around the region, Anchorage or beyond.

I thank all 1,600 YKHC employees who helped survivors of Typhoon Halong. Your dedication and devotion toward achieving our mission and vision is applauded.

A special thank you to the Alaska National Guard and Coast Guard for their heroic and life-saving missions during the storm and those that continue today in order to help ready survivors’ homes for winter. The professionalism, urgency and compassion shown by the Guard, President Trump, Gov. Dunleavy, state of Alaska emergency operations center, FEMA, the Alaska Divisions of Forestry and Transportation, American Red Cross, AVCP, AVCP RHA, City of Bethel, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Samaritan’s Purse, Team Rubicon, World Kitchen, airline/cargo operators, local churches and businesses, the Municipality of Anchorage and many others is truly commended.

While recovery and repatriation will continue for months and years, if Alaskans continue to act with the same resolve as we did with this emergency response, more can be accomplished in the future.

Although many lost much during this tragedy, each of us still has much more to be thankful for during this holiday season.

Dan Winkelman is president and CEO of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.

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