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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 21 september 2022

Damage assessments begin in flooded remote Alaska villages

entire length of California's the Bering Strait since wa- the storm.
coast — were impacted by ter will be slow to recede in
the storm. towns like Kotzebue, Kiva- Alaska National Guard mem-
lina and Shishmaref, Nation- bers in the western half of
Many homes throughout al Weather Service meteorol- the nation's largest state have
the region were flooded, and ogist Kaitlyn Lardeo said. been activated to help, either
some were knocked off their in the communities where
foundations by the rushing Shishmaref had seen water they live or elsewhere along
waters propelled by strong surges 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) the coast, he said.
winds. Officials were starting above the normal tide level,
the process of determining while Kotzebue and Kivalina The American Red Cross has
damage to roads, ports, sea- had smaller surges, but were 50 volunteers ready to help
walls and water and sewage both still without power and will be sent to communi-
systems. Monday, she said. ties that are in most need.

The state transportation de- Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy Most support personnel will
partment said most airports on Sunday identified five have to be flown to these
in the area were open, and communities — Hooper communities since there are
officials were making either Bay, Scammon Bay, Golovin, few roads in western Alaska.
temporary or permanent Newtok and Nome — as Providing air support will be
repairs to the runways that being greatly impacted by a the Alaska National Guard,
still have issues, said Jer- combination of high water, small commuter airlines that
(AP) — Authorities in storm — the remnants of Ty- emy Zidek, a spokesperson flooding, erosion and elec- routinely fly between these
Alaska were making con- phoon Merbok — as it trav- for the Alaska Department trical issues. Nome, where small villages and possibly
tact Monday with some eled north through the Ber- of Homeland Security and one home floated down a bush pilots.
of the most remote vil- ing Strait over the weekend. Emergency Management. river until it was caught by a
lages in the United States However, damage to homes, bridge, was among the many Weather always adversely im-
to determine their food roads and other infrastruc- The storm remained stalled reporting road damage after pacts flights in rural Alaska,
and water needs, as well ture is only starting to be re- Monday in the Chukchi Sea recording tidal surges 11.1 but Zidek said the forecast
as assess the damage af- vealed as floodwaters recede. near northwest Alaska, but it feet (3.38 meters) above nor- seems favorable to conduct
ter a massive storm flood- was rapidly weakening after mal. the response operations.
ed communities on the About 21,000 residents liv- at its most powerful stage in-
state's vast western coast ing in the small communi- fluencing weather patterns as The state's emergency op- On Sunday, Dunleavy said
this weekend. ties dotting a 1,000-mile far away as California. erations center is fully staffed time was of the essence be-
(1,609-kilometer) stretch of with military, state agencies cause freeze-up, meaning the
No one was reported injured Alaska's western coastline — Coastal flood warnings were and volunteer organizations start of winter, can happen as
or killed during the massive a distance longer than the extended for an area north of to address the aftermath of early as October.

'Serial' host: Evidence that freed Syed was long available

(AP) – The creator of a true- the actual evidence, was either known In the "Serial" episode posted Tues- Prosecutor Becky Feldman led the
crime podcast that helped free or knowable to cops and prosecutors day, Koenig broke down prosecutors' unit and found notes written by one
a Maryland man imprisoned for back in 1999," Koenig said. "So even motion and described how some evi- of her predecessors describing two
two decades said Tuesday that she on a day when the government pub- dence they cited was featured in the phone calls in which people gave
feels a mix of emotions over how licly recognizes its own mistakes, it's podcast, while other evidence – in- them information before Syed's tri-
long it took authorities to act on hard to feel cheered about a triumph cluding the evidence of other pos- al about someone with a motive to
evidence that's long been avail- of fairness. Because we've built a sys- sible suspects – became public more harm Lee. That information wasn't
able. tem that takes more than 20 years to recently. given to the defense at the time, ac-
self-correct. And that's just this one cording prosecutors, an omission that
The judge's order to release Adnan case." Key to Monday's outcome was evi- Phinn said violated Syed's rights.
Syed and vacate his murder convic- dence uncovered by a unit that Mos-
tion Monday came after the local On Monday, Circuit Court Judge by's office launched to reexamine cas- Koenig said the show delved into
prosecutor started a unit to review Melissa Phinn in Baltimore ordered es in which juvenile defendants were questions about cellphone data that
sentencing and a new Maryland law Syed's release after overturning his given life sentences. That worked in prosecutors used to bolster the wit-
relating to juvenile sentencing pro- conviction for the 1999 murder of tandem with a 2021 Maryland law ness's testimony. But she acknowl-
vided a mechanism for reexamining high school student Hae Min Lee, that enables someone convicted as a edged that expert analysis used by
the case, all after the "Serial" podcast Syed's ex-girlfriend. Syed, 41, has al- juvenile to seek a reduced sentence prosecutors to arrive at their current
in 2014 turned the details of the case ways maintained his innocence but in after serving at least 20 years. Syed motion wasn't fully explored on the
into an obsession for countless ama- 2019 the state's highest court had re- was 17 when Lee was killed. show.
teur sleuths. jected his appeal for a new trial.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn At the behest of prosecutors who said
Mosby immediately applauded the they had recently uncovered new
judge's decision as a victory for jus- evidence, Phinn ruled that the state
tice, but Syed's win came as a bit- violated its legal obligation to share
tersweet reminder to those who had evidence that could have bolstered
been aware of the gaps in the case Syed's defense. The judge said the
for years. In a new episode of "Serial" state must decide whether to seek
released Tuesday, host Sarah Koe- a new trial date or dismiss the case
nig noted that most or all of the evi- within 30 days.
dence cited in prosecutors' motion to
overturn the conviction was available Mosby, who entered office in 2015,
since 1999. filed a motion last week to vacate
Syed's conviction, a filing that Koe-
"Yesterday, there was a lot of talk nig described as a "firework" coming
about fairness, but most of what the from the same office that asked a jury
state put in that motion to vacate, all to convict Syed years ago.