Haley Stevens: “I lend my strong support to Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young in their efforts to provide better access to…”

“I lend my strong support to Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young in their efforts to provide better access to emergency medical services for the people of King Cove, Alaska. Senator Murkowski's bill, S. 1092, and its companion bill in the House will put an end to the recent string of deaths resulting from emergency medical evacuation efforts out of King Cove. King Cove is one of the most prolific fishing communities in the nation and has the largest fish processing operation in Alaska. It sits at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, 600 miles southwest of Anchorage in the North Pacific Ocean. King Cove is served by a small dirt runway. The runway has no lights and no instrument capability, and has no personnel manning it. It sits in a valley between two large mountains. The weather and the surrounding terrain create winds that are described as 'venturi effects'--under these conditions the wind can blow in opposite directions at opposite ends of the runway. The winds aloft over the runway create wind shears that have flipped planes and thrown them into mountains. King Cove's airstrip is closed roughly one out of every three days, often for many days at a time.”