Indigenous organizations and local leaders were focusing on the destruction from the recent storm before the start of the convention.

One of the biggest events in Alaska begins Thursday with the 59th annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention. The three-day event at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center is expected to bring 5,000 Alaska Native people to Anchorage from villages statewide.

The disaster laid bare the Alaska Native village’s vulnerability to flooding and the consequences of the Trump administration’s cuts to environmental programs.

In Alaska, the second Monday of October is designated to recognize the state’s Indigenous people and their cultures. The Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage was one of several sites around the state that hosted events to commemorate the day.

Several organizations are asking for donations or contributing fundraiser proceeds to help residents affected by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

Alaskans across the Last Frontier celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In Anchorage, Alaska Pacific University celebrated the state holiday by gathering to share in traditional knowledge and raise awareness of the contributions of Alaska Natives.

High winds and storm surge seawater from Typhoon Halong battered low-lying, isolated Alaska Native communities in western Alaska.

Emergency responders in western Alaska are working to help thousands of residents displaced after ferocious, hurricane-force wind gusts from what once was Typhoon Halong tore through remote, coastal communities,