The mass evacuation by military aircraft of hundreds of residents from Alaska villages ravaged by the remnants of Typhoon Halong is complete, and officials and local leaders are turning attention to trying to stabilize damaged infrastructure and housing where they can before the winter freeze sets in.
The focus of major response efforts following back-to-back storms that battered western Alaska has been the Yup’ik communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which are near the Bering Sea and have histories of flooding. While more than a dozen communities reported damage from the remnants of Halong earlier this month, Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were devastated by storm surge and water levels that reached record highs.
Homes were swept away, some with people inside. Winds in the region shook and tossed buildings like toys. First responders recounted rescuing people from rooftops. One person died, and two remain missing.
Initial estimates suggest 90% of buildings were destroyed in Kipnuk, with the fresh water supply seemingly contaminated by fuel and sewage, according to a report released Monday by Alaska’s emergency management division. About 35% of buildings in Kwigillingok were destroyed, the report states.
An Alaska Native organization seeks additional action
The Alaska Federation of Natives passed a resolution during its annual convention that ended Saturday in support of expansive, urgent and ongoing help for the region.
The group is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska, and its meeting in Anchorage coincided with the temporary relocation last week of hundreds of people to shelters in the city, which is Alaska’s largest and about 500 miles (804.7 kilometers) from some of the tiny villages where residents rely heavily on hunting and fishing as part of their culture.
The resolution, among other things, urges the state and federal governments “to make sustained investments in permanent Alaska Arctic infrastructure and protective measures” and to strengthen ties with tribes “to ensure a consistent federal presence and equitable access to resources for remote communities across the Bering Sea and Arctic regions.”
Funds for community resilience or aimed at mitigating disaster risks have been called into question by President Donald Trump’s administration, with efforts to cancel them being challenged in court. Alaska’s U.S. senators, Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, have said they would make the case for the importance of such funds in Alaska, where numerous rural communities face threats from coastal erosion and thawing permafrost that require significant infrastructure updates — and in some cases, relocation.
The Alaska Federation of Natives’ resolution also urged the federal government to establish a regional response hub in the southwest Alaska community of Bethel and to provide funds for village public safety officers to aid in response efforts. And it asks governments at all levels to discourage “any barriers that would inhibit hunting and fishing practices” to replenish fish, moose meat and other subsistence and traditional foods that Native people lost in the storm.
The remoteness of the region requires goods to be shipped in by barge or brought in by air. Hunting and fishing helps supplement food available at local groceries that can be limited and often expensive.
Anchorage welcoming displaced students
More than 25 students had been registered with the Anchorage School District and were expected to begin classes as early as Monday, according to the state report. A spokesperson for the district did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Associated Press.
The district superintendent, Jharrett Bryantt, in a statement last week said school teams would be ready to provide emergency supplies, bus transportation, mental health services, language assistance and other support.
“This transition carries both emotional and cultural weight. Our schools will be places of belonging, healing and hope, where every child feels safe, valued and connected,” he said. “Honoring each student’s culture, language and relationships will be essential to helping them heal and rebuild their sense of home.”
Working against the clock, and winter
Focus by the state has shifted to sending personnel and supplies into communities to help restore damaged infrastructure and assist with emergency home repairs, the report from the emergency management agency said. Tribal organizations and consortiums are coordinating efforts to help dry out, salvage and repair homes.
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., which is involved in recovery efforts and provides health care in the region, on social media said it anticipates freeze up — when rivers begin to freeze over — within weeks.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state emergency management agency, said there is not yet a date by which officials plan to close shelters that have been set up in Anchorage.
“As we work to return people home or find other accommodation we will assess,” he said by email.
