Alaska Native villages face ‘absolute devastation’ after Typhoon Halong

One person was killed and two were missing in western Alaska after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricane-force winds, damaging storm surge and floodwaters that swept away some homes, authorities said.

Officials said more than 50 people were rescued, some from rooftops, warning that there was a long road to recovery and the need for continued support for the most affected communities.

Captain Christopher Culpepper, a US Coast Guard official, described the situation in the villages of Kipnok and Kuijelinguk as “absolute devastation.”

Alaska State Troopers said at least 51 people and two dogs were rescued in Kipnuk and Kugeelinguk after the storm system tore through communities. Both areas experienced major storms, according to the National Weather Service.

A woman was found dead and two people were still missing in Kuijelinguk, forces said. The agency earlier said it was working to confirm indirect reports of people missing in Kibnock, but late Monday, forces concluded that no one was missing.

According to the non-profit Coastal Villages Area Fund, most residents in both communities have sought refuge in local schools.

About 380 people live in Kwijilenjuk, a majority Indigenous community on the western shore of Kuskokwim Bay and near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River.

Low-lying area prone to flooding

A 2022 report by the Alaska Native Justice Institute for local indigenous people said the frequency and severity of flooding in the low-lying area has increased in recent years. The report stated that community relocation is an urgent need.

In addition to housing concerns, residents affected by the system across the region reported power outages, lack of running water, destruction of subsistence food stored in refrigerators, and damage to home heating stoves. This damage can make winter difficult in remote communities, where people stockpile food from hunting and fishing to help get through the season.

Jimmy Jenkins, 42, who lives in another hard-hit community, Napakiak, said the storm was “the worst I’ve ever seen.” High winds and fast-rising waters were described Sunday morning.

Her mother — whose nearby home was on its foundations — and a neighbor whose house was flooded came to the Jenkins house. She said they tried to wait out the storm, but when the water was at their highest, they took a boat and went to school.

“Virtually the entire community” was there, Jenkins said.

She said men in town collected boats and went house to house to remove anyone still in their home.

Adaline Pitt, who lives in another community, Kotlik, said she had never experienced winds this strong before. A nearby unoccupied house flipped over, but she said her family felt safe in their home.

During a press conference organized by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Alaska’s US Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan said they will continue to focus on climate resiliency and infrastructure funds in Alaska. Sullivan said the congressional delegation’s job is to make sure the Trump administration and their colleagues understand the importance of such funds.

Earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would end a program aimed at mitigating disaster risks. The decision is being appealed in court.

Erosion mitigation projects take time to complete, Murkowski said.

“But our reality is that we are seeing these storms coming… certainly on a more frequent basis, and the intensity that we are seeing seems to be accumulating as well, so the time to act on it is now because it will take us some time to put it in place,” she said of such projects.

Erosion and thawing permafrost pose threats to infrastructure and, in some cases, entire communities in Alaska, which are suffering from the effects of climate change.