How Emergency and Recovery Support Functions Failed to Address Short and Long-term Cascading Disasters after a High-Latitude Extratropical Bering Sea Cyclone Impacted Geographically Isolated US Indigenous Coastal Communities.

Purpose: From September 10-20, 2022, a central Pacific Ocean cyclone developed into Typhoon Merbok then transitioned into an extratropical post-typhoon where its remnants became stronger and impacted the 2100-kilometer (1300-mile) geographically isolated western coastline of Alaska. This research formally documented the immediate aftermath cascade disaster and what role Merbok played to exacerbate an ongoing cascading series of disasters by examining application of core emergency and recovery support function capabilities in both short- and long-term timeframes. Methodology: Descriptive research using a collective case study was used. Findings: While some successes were noted, the research found both the emergency and recovery support functions were overall ineffective and did not function which resulted in exacerbation of the cascading hazard event in short-term recovery and long-term resilience. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy, and Practice: This research looked beyond just disaster impact to examine how a storm exposed broader ramifications questioning where Indigenous villages were established, access to these locations, what was considered infrastructure compared to other US locations, how the emergency and recovery support functions failed to adequately implement their respective core functions, decimation of the ability to maintain an Indigenous subsistence lifestyle, and what was needed for recovery versus resilience for the people involved. The findings impact both response to major disasters and preparedness considerations for remote and geographically isolated locations.