When ex-Typhoon Halong hit Western Alaska communities and caused widespread destruction, the Fairbanks North Star Borough began planning.

“As soon as the damage was becoming apparent, we started internal dialogue about what we could do to help if refugees were going to be flown to Fairbanks and the Interior,” Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins said on Thursday.

Hopkins touched base with Fairbanks reporters about what levers the borough could pull in case an influx of evacuees did filter into Fairbanks. The remains of Typhoon Halong caused massive destruction to 15 communities and at least 1,500 people were evacuated to Bethel and Anchorage.

According to the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 90% of the structures in the village of Kipnuk were destroyed or beyond l

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