Hundreds of residents in remote western Alaskan villages were airlifted to safety Thursday after devastating flooding swept through the region earlier this week. The flooding followed high winds and heavy rains brought on by the remnants of Typhoon Halong on Sunday, which caused water levels to rise more than six feet above the normal highest tide, according to The Associated Press.
Entire homes in the Native communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were destroyed. Some were swept away with residents still inside. One person is confirmed dead, two are missing, and more than 1,400 people have been forced from their homes.
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“It’s a nightmare what we went through,” Julia Stone, a village police officer in Kipnuk, said to the AP while crying. “But I thank God we are together.”
“It was like a big earthquake, especially with water,” Alexie Stone, a Kipnuk resident, told the AP. “We were scared that the glass window was gonna break because the water was hitting — the water was hitting the window really pretty hard.”
Remote locations make rescue difficult
The villages, which are not connected to the state’s main road system, can only be reached by boat or plane at this time of year. The flooding’s impact was so severe that military planes were required to evacuate residents to Anchorage — about 500 miles east — where they could access safety and temporary housing.
The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at the Alaska Airlines Sports Center.
“In our village, we say that we’re Native strong,” Alexie Stone said. “We have Native pride, and nothing can break us down. But this is the hardest that we went through, but everybody’s sticking together. The village of Kipnuk is sticking together — everybody’s talking to each other, making sure everybody’s OK, hugging them and making sure that they have everything they need. So, everybody’s taking care of everybody in there. We’re all thankful that we’re all alive.”
Rebuilding will be challenging
Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told the AP that recovery efforts will be complicated, especially with winter approaching.
“The recovery is just complicated because these are remote communities,” Thoman said. “Because there is no road connections… and many of the air strips, you know, are not big enough. You can’t physically land a jet aircraft in there to haul in lots of supplies. They’re not — they’re not built for that.”
Vice President JD Vance posted on X that the federal government is coordinating with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy to assist the affected communities.
“President Trump & I are closely tracking the storm devastation that resulted in over 1,000 citizens being airlifted out of Alaska villages. Alaskans, our prayers are with you,” Vance wrote.
