Alaska Villages Devastated After Typhoon Halong Remnants Leave Thousands Homeless
Rain and wind were forecast Wednesday along Alaska’s coast, where two remote Native villages were left in ruins after the remnants of Typhoon Halong tore through the region — and officials scrambled to find shelter for…
Rain and wind were forecast Wednesday along Alaska’s coast, where two remote Native villages were left in ruins after the remnants of Typhoon Halong tore through the region — and officials scrambled to find shelter for more than 1,500 displaced residents.
According to The Associated Press, the weekend storm unleashed powerful winds and storm surges that battered low-lying communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, nearly 500 miles southwest of Anchorage. At least one person was killed and two others remain missing. The Coast Guard rescued two dozen people after their homes were swept out to sea.
Hundreds of evacuees have taken refuge in local schools — including one with no working toilets — as emergency crews continue damage assessments and coordinate relief efforts.
“It’s catastrophic in Kipnuk. Let’s not paint any other picture,” said Mark Roberts, incident commander with the state emergency management division. “We are doing everything we can to continue to support that community, but it is as bad as you can think.”
Across the region, back-to-back storms displaced more than 1,500 residents. Dozens have been flown to a temporary shelter at the National Guard armory in Bethel — a regional hub of 6,000 people — and officials are considering relocating evacuees to longer-term housing in Fairbanks and Anchorage.
The hardest-hit communities, Kipnuk (population 715) and Kwigillingok (population 380), are off Alaska’s road system and can be reached only by air or water.
Among those awaiting evacuation to Bethel on Tuesday was Brea Paul