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Trump Approves $25M for Western Alaska Storm Recovery

The funding comes after Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested a federal disaster declaration last week, although the total cost of recovery from Typhoon Halong could greatly exceed $25 million.

Trump
(TNS) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he approved $25 million to cover the cost of recovery efforts in Western Alaska.

The funding comes after Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested a federal disaster declaration last week following widespread destruction from ex-Typhoon Halong. The request was backed by Alaska's congressional declaration.

The money is meant "to help Alaska recover from the major typhoon they experienced earlier this month," Trump wrote in a post on his social media website Truth Social.

"It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024 — ALASKA , I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump wrote.

Dunleavy said in a statement that Trump "was deeply concerned with the wellbeing of Alaskans who lost their homes and livelihoods to this historic storm."

"Now Alaskan families have local, state and federal support for rebuilding their lives in the months ahead," Dunleavy wrote.

Dunleavy spokesperson Jeff Turner said the $25 million figure cited by Trump "is the initial amount of federal funding" and "more will be made available as needed."

The total cost of recovery from the recent storm could far exceed $25 million.

After the remnants of Typhoon Merbok struck Western Alaska in 2022 — causing significant but less extensive destruction than the recent storm — preliminary damage assessments amounted to over $28 million, Dunleavy wrote in his recent disaster declaration request.

According to Dunleavy, the federal disaster declaration authorizes federal authorities to cover 100% of the cost of "all categories of relief assistance for the next 90 days."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not immediately confirm the specifics of the disaster declaration or respond to questions from the Daily News.

Alaska's U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan said they spoke about the disaster declaration request with Trump at a White House event on Tuesday. Murkowski on Wednesday called FEMA's review of the funding request "one of the quickest federal responses in recent years."

"This swift approval means critical federal resources can now begin flowing to communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta that were hit hard by Typhoon Halong's remnants," Sullivan said in a statement.

Dan Winkelman, president and CEO of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., said the declaration helps "get the ball rolling" in recovery efforts.

The tribal health organization's board of directors called on Trump to declare a national emergency Oct. 15.

While Winkelman said finding better shelter space for displaced people and helping them access assistance is his top priority, he said the federal declaration means "this is going in a good direction."

"We are pleased, without a doubt," he said.

But, Winkelman said, questions like how much federal financial assistance affected families will be eligible to collect still have to be addressed.

"The devil is in the details," he said.

© 2025 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska). Visit www.adn.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.





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Recovery