1 dead, 2 missing and dozens rescued after remnants of a typhoon lash western Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — One person was dead and two were missing in western Alaska on Monday after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricane-force winds and ravaging storm surges and floodwaters that swept some homes away, authorities said. More than 50 people had been rescued — some plucked from rooftops.

Officials warned of a long road to recovery and a need for continued support for the hardest-hit communities with winter just around the corner. A U.S. Coast Guard official, Capt. Christopher Culpepper, described the situation in the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as “absolute devastation.”

Elsewhere in the U.S., severe weather killed a woman in New York City who was struck by a solar panel, and the Columbus Day Parade there also was canceled. Rescuers in the Phoenix area found the body of a man whose truck was swept away by floodwaters, and crews in southern California prepared for potential mudslides in fire-ravaged areas.

Alaska State Troopers said at least 51 people and two dogs were rescued in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after the storm system walloped the communities. Both areas saw significant storm surge, according to the National Weather Service.

A woman was found dead and two people remained unaccounted for in Kwigillingok, troopers said. The agency earlier said it was working to confirm secondhand reports of people who were unaccounted for in Kipnuk, but late Monday, said troopers had determined no one there was missing.

According to the nonprofit Coastal Villages Region Fund, most of the residents in both communities had taken shelter in local schools.

In addition to housing concerns, residents impacted by the system across the region reported power outages, a lack of running water, subsistence foods stocked in freezers ruined and damage to home-heating stoves. That damage could make the winter difficult in remote communities where people store food from hunting and fishing to help make it through the season.

Jamie Jenkins, 42, who lives in another hard-hit community, Napakiak, said the storm was “the worst I've ever seen.” She described howling winds and fast-rising waters Sunday morning.

Her mother — whose nearby home shifted on its foundation — and a neighbor whose home flooded came over to Jenkins' place. They tried to wait out the storm, she said, but when the waters reached their top stairs, they got in a boat and evacuated to the school.

Jenkins said “practically the whole community” was there. The men in town gathered their boats and went house to house to pick up anyone else who was still in their homes, she said.

Adaline Pete, who lives in another community, Kotlik, said she had never experienced winds so strong before. An unoccupied house next door flipped over, but she said her family felt safe in their home.

During a news conference organized by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Alaska's two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, said they would continue to focus on climate resilience and infrastructure funds for Alaska. Sullivan said it was the congressional delegation's job to ensure the Trump administration and their colleagues understood the importance of such funds.

Earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would end a program aimed at mitigating disaster risks. The decision is being challenged in court.

Murkowski said erosion mitigation projects take time to complete. “But our reality is, we are seeing these storms coming ... certainly on a more frequent basis, and the intensity that we’re seeing seems to be accumulating as well, and so the time to act on it is now because it’s going to take us some time to get these in place,” she said of such projects.

About 380 people live in Kwigillingok, a predominately Alaska Native community on the western shore of Kuskokwim Bay and near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. A report prepared for the local tribe in 2022 by the Alaska Institute for Justice said the frequency and severity of flooding in the low-lying region had increased in recent years. The report listed relocation of the community as an urgent need.

Erosion and melting permafrost pose threats to infrastructure and in some cases entire communities in Alaska, which is experiencing the impacts of climate change.

In California, rescue crews with helicopters and bulldozers were being pre-positioned near wildfire burn areas to respond to potential debris flows and mudslides as a major storm takes aim at the state. A flood watch was issued starting late Monday for much of Southern California, where several inches of rain were possible through Tuesday. To the north, up to 3 feet (1 meter) of mountain snow was predicted for parts of the Sierra Nevada.

A microburst and thunderstorm hit the city of Tempe, Arizona, on Monday, dropping about a half-inch of rain within 10 minutes, the National Weather Service said. Weather service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said a microburst — when a storm collapses on itself and pushes out at high wind speeds — can be mistaken for a tornado because of the damage it can cause.

The storm caused significant damage, including uprooting trees that toppled onto vehicles and buildings, and dropping them on streets and sidewalks. A business complex had its roof torn off, and thousands of homes lost power.

Heavy rain drenched much of the state, inundating parking lots and usually dry washes and leaving residential areas looking like rivers.

Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland. Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle contributed from Dallas.

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska, experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

Atlantic Ocean waves crash near Atlantic Beach, in Middletown, R.I., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Photo/Steven Senne)

A car drives over sand on Highway 12 after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A "For Sale" sign its on a flooded road after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Two people battle gusts with their umbrellas as they fight a wind-driven rain storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A homeowner takes a photo after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

C. Johnson, of Providence, R.I., carries an umbrella, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, while walking along a rain-soaked walkway near a sculpture, in Providence, R.I. (Photo/Steven Senne)

Stanislav Valchev, of Providence, R.I., left, and Dari Dimitrova, of Lewisburg, Penn., center, carry umbrellas while walking on a rain-soaked bridge, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Providence. (Photo/Steven Senne)

A road is inundated in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A man walks past houses at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A person stands and takes photos of houses at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

People look out at a flooded road in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A balcony hangs off a home at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

ATLANTA (AP) — Burt Jones seemed like the inevitable Republican nominee for governor in Georgia.

He is the current lieutenant governor, he has lots of family money and perhaps most important, he has President Donald Trump's endorsement.

But that certainty crumbled after health care tycoon Rick Jackson unexpectedly cannonballed into the race in February, dumping more than $30 million of his money into television ads. That already is more than any candidate has ever spent in a primary race for Georgia governor, with more than two months before the May 19 election.

The blitz has left Jones clinging to Trump’s endorsement like a life preserver while Jackson consciously evokes Trump. Jackson even descended in a glass elevator at his office building to announce his candidacy, echoing Trump's 2016 campaign start when he rode down a golden escalator in his eponymous New York skyscraper.

Jay Morgan, a former executive director of the state Republican Party, said “there’s no template” for what Jackson is doing in Georgia.

“We’re on a different playing field,” he said. “It’s like going from Little League to major leagues.”

Jackson’s emergence is yet another challenge to Trump’s influence in a critical battleground state. The president’s kingmaker record in Georgia is shaky, failing to dislodge Gov. Brian Kemp and others in 2022 and backing Herschel Walker in a Senate loss that year.

More recently, Trump nudged Clay Fuller to the front of a crowded Republican field in the special congressional election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. Fuller advanced to a runoff against a Democratic opponent.

Jones could be the Georgia politician most closely tied to Trump in this year's campaigns, and a loss would again show the limits to the president's sway over the party.

“The Trump endorsement is still valuable to get but can’t it be the be-all and end-all,” said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock. "I guess $50 million or whatever Rick Jackson is spending will be a real test of that."

In all, it is a picture of an election turned upside down. The two other top Republican candidates — Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr — have largely stayed out of the crossfire, but are struggling for attention.

Democrats want to break a Republican winning streak that dates to 2002. Among the candidates are former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Geoff Duncan, a onetime Republican lieutenant governor.

Trump has stood by Jones, who risked facing criminal charges when he tried to help Trump overturn his election loss in 2020.

“Burt Jones has been here and been with you and been with me right from the beginning,” Trump said Feb. 19 at an event in Rome, Georgia.

Jones is trying to counter Jackson by questioning his “Make America Great Again” bona fides, noting his history of giving to Republicans other than Trump and saying his health care staffing company assisted Planned Parenthood and gender-affirming care.

Jackson swatted back on Monday, filing a lawsuit claiming Jones was defaming him. Jones responded with a negative ad barrage the next day.

Jackson’s entry into the race was preceded by a $19 million bombardment from a mystery dark money group accusing Jones of using his office to enrich himself. There is little evidence to support the most serious claims — that Jones used his position as lieutenant governor to promote a giant data center development his family partly owns.

Jackson has repeatedly denied that he is bankrolling the ads that began in November.

On Feb. 4, Jackson launched his candidacy at the faux Italian office park he custom-built for Jackson Healthcare in suburban Alpharetta. Jackson likened himself to Trump as a businessman inspired to enter politics and said he would be “Trump’s favorite governor.”

“I saw a so-called front-runner who was as weak as can be and as lazy as the day is long,” Jackson said of Jones. “Really, he wants the title of governor, but not the job.”

A Jackson lawsuit has at least temporarily cut off a key source Jones' money — his leadership committee. That unusual Georgia fundraising vehicle lets Jones and a few other entities raise unlimited contributions. A federal judge ruled the structure illegal because Jackson’s contributions from others remain subject to Georgia’s $8,400 limit. Jones was ordered not to spend from the committee during the primary.

The court case could help Jackson maintain a financial advantage over Jones. Although Jones has ramped up his spending, political consultants said Jackson has purchased so many television spots already that he may crowd out his competitors.

Jackson is a former foster child who now calls himself a billionaire. His fortune stems from Jackson Healthcare, which recruits medical workers and leases them as well-credentialed temp workers. Among his biggest clients has been the state of Georgia. His companies have collected nearly $1 billion from state government in recent years, including providing medical workers during the pandemic.

He's been a force in Georgia politics for more than a decade as a Republican megadonor and policy advocate. In the early 2010s, he bankrolled an unsuccessful effort in Georgia and Florida to overhaul medical malpractice claims. He unsuccessfully pushed to privatize Georgia's foster care system. Later, he successfully backed efforts to increase support for foster children.

While Jackson has aired hard-edged ads pledging to cut taxes, deport immigrants and block gender-affirming care to minors, some said he is driven by Christian faith and concern for others.

“He’s a rock-solid conservative and just a terrific guy," said Eric Tanenblatt, a Republican operative who has worked for Jackson. "He's obviously a successful business person, but also someone with just a genuinely kind heart.”

Jackson made powerful Republican friends over the years.

He put former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on his company's advisory board, and Jackson and his company gave more than $1 million to a political action committee backing Bush's failed 2016 presidential bid. That's now part of Jones' attack that Jackson is a “never Trumper." Jones also slams donations to Nikki Haley, who unsuccessfully opposed Trump in 2024, and to former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney's PAC.

Jackson has tried to offset that history, writing a $1 million check to Trump's MAGA Inc. PAC on Dec. 10. Jones supporters aren't buying it.

"My Chihuahua Izzy is closer to being MAGA than Rick Jackson is,” said pro-Jones Republican activist Debbie Dooley.

Even if people question Jackson's pro-Trump credentials, his entry seems to have stifled a push by Republican officials to crown Jones. Before Jackson entered the race, Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon, and the state's two Republican National Committee members sought to waive a party rule against taking sides in primaries so the party could back Jones. But with local party groups condemning the move, the national party now says it won't wade in.

“We’re not spending any money in that race,” the RNC chairman, Joe Gruters, told WSB-AM on Feb. 19.

Being a huge self-funder doesn't guarantee election success. Republican Kelly Loeffler and her husband pumped more than $34 million into her unsuccessful Georgia Senate campaign in 2020. Of 65 candidates who spent more than $1 million of their own seeking federal office in 2024, only 10 won, according to Open Secrets, a group that tracks spending.

But for now, Jackson's money makes his message feel inescapable.

“The landscape that we were looking at 30 days ago looks radically different today," Morgan said.

Shane Jackson shakes hands with his father, Rick Jackson, a healthcare business owner, after his campaign kickoff speech for Georgia governor at Jackson Healthcare, in Alpharetta, Ga., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Healthcare business owner Rick Jackson waves to supporters as he comes down in an elevator for his campaign kickoff speech for Georgia governor at Jackson Healthcare, in Alpharetta, Ga., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)