Operation
Bethel, AK - Quyana Tailuci
Hurricane / Tropical Storm Response
This was the information they provided before I signed up and bought a boatload of cold weather gear including long johns, electrically heated gloves and the like.
When the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which originally developed in the western Pacific, swept into Alaska as an extratropical cyclone, it brought extreme devastation with it. Hurricane-force winds, record storm surge, and extensive flooding devastated entire communities. The catastrophic damage to communities of western Alaska—west of Anchorage, south of Nome, and north of the Aleutian Islands—comes at a scale few have seen. Across the region, homes have been washed away, communities have been displaced, and infrastructure is crippled. Typhoon Halong is one of the worst Alaska disasters in recent memory. Officials described the damage as “catastrophic,” saying every home was damaged and 90% of homes were destroyed, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation.
Incredibly remote and largely roadless, much of the region comprises small, Alaska Native villages reachable only by air or water. In western Alaska, a domestic natural disaster has taken on international-style humanitarian crisis dimensions: More than 1,500 people have been displaced, evacuating to towns like Bethel or to Anchorage, 500 miles away. Officials warn that many evacuees won’t be able to return home this winter, due to the scale of damage and onset of harsh conditions.
Those able to remain in their communities face additional hardships. Numerous communities face the loss of subsistence resources: Freezers with stored fish, game, and other foods were lost or destroyed, and berry-picking grounds and traditional hunting trails flooded.
This operation will take place in a remote and unforgiving environment, where conditions are both austere [Read hideous] and subject to extreme cold and rapidly changing weather. Greyshirts should expect to operate in harsh, non-traditional settings that may include limited infrastructure, exposure to the elements, and physically demanding tasks. This is not a typical deployment.
OK then, off we were to go to Bethel Alaska, 400 miles West of Anchorage, (About 2600 miles due north of Hawaii or south of the north pole), or a million miles from civilization, close to the Bearing sea. Reachable only by air, we were to be flown in. It would take two days to get there, with an overnight in Anchorage due to limited flights to the boondocks. Meanwhile, Janice flew away to lie on the beach in Florida for a week to see some friends while I was to be away.
Bethel is the main center for a large, rural area, supporting 56 surrounding native outposts. I was confirmed for deployment, then two days later told to "stand down" because operational needs had been met. The next day I was reconfirmed and part of the airline tickets were issued and sent to me. Part, because they were trying to book me from my small regional airport to Anchorage. The government shutdown and airline chaos took care of that as no flights were available to book.
It was the deployment that was not to be. As I write this, I am waiting to find out if I am being deployed to Jamaica shortly, for chainsaw work or roof tarping after their recent hurricane.
Man plans, God laughs.
