U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will convene a Senate field hearing in Bethel, Alaska on Wednesday focused on strengthening federal disaster response and resilience efforts in Alaska Native communities facing growing environmental and climate-related threats.
The hearing, titled “From Disaster to Resilience: Strengthening Tribal Communities through Federal Response, Mitigation and Relocation Programs,” is the second installment in a two-part examination by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs into disaster impacts, recovery efforts, and long-term resilience strategies in Tribal communities across Alaska.
Murkowski, who chairs the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will lead the hearing at 1:00 p.m. AKDT on May 6 at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel.
The hearing will feature testimony from Tribal, corporate, health, and emergency management leaders, including:
- Thaddeus Tikiun Jr., chairman of the Association of Village Presidents
- Andrew Guy, president of Calista Corporation
- Patty Smith
- Natasha Singh of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
- Bryan Fisher
- Jocelyn Fenton of the Denali Commission
According to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the hearing will examine how federal response, mitigation, and relocation programs can better support Tribal communities experiencing severe weather events, erosion, flooding, infrastructure threats, and other disasters intensified by climate change.
Following the hearing, the committee will host a Tribal leader listening session from approximately 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. AKDT, providing an opportunity for additional input from community leaders across the Yukon-Kuskokwim region.
The field hearing will take place in the Blueberry Conference Room at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, located at 700 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway in Bethel. Time permitting, Senator Murkowski is also expected to hold a press huddle with media following the event.
The hearing will be webcast live on the Committee’s website; an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing concludes. Witness testimonies will be available on the Committee’s website at the start of the hearing.