One of the most significant airlifts in Alaska history was underway Wednesday to move hundreds of people from coastal villages ravaged by high surf and strong winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend, officials said.
The storm brought record water levels to two low-lying communities and washed away homes — some with people inside. Makeshift shelters were quickly established and swelled to about 1,500 people, an extraordinary number in a sparsely populated region where communities are reachable by air or water.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told CBS News by phone that one person was rescued and two remained missing after a home was washed out to sea.
“There were homes washed out to sea, and unfortunately, there was one home which was occupied and three people were washed out,” Zidek told CBS News. “One person has been recovered, and two persons are still missing. That’s the most devastating impact. But we have communities all along the coast of Alaska that have been impacted.”
About 300 evacuees were being brought to Anchorage on Wednesday, about 500 miles east of the battered coastline villages, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Zidek said some evacuees were being received at a temporary shelter set up at the Alaska Airlines Center, an arena in Anchorage.
The remoteness and the scale of the destruction created challenges for getting resources in place. Damage assessments have been trickling in as responders have shifted from initial search-and-rescue operations to trying to stabilize or restore basic services.
“The storm struck on Saturday evening,” Zidek told CBS News. “I believe by Sunday morning the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska State Troopers launched aircraft to get into the communities and perform rescues, and they were literally plucking people off of roofs, going into homes, helping people wade out of the water, and lifting them in baskets and getting them to safety.”
The communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok near the Bering Sea saw water levels more than 6 feet above the highest normal tide line.
Some homes cannot be reoccupied, even with emergency repairs, and others may not be livable by winter, said emergency management officials. Forecasters say rain and snow is possible in the region this weekend, with average temperatures soon below freezing.
Mark Roberts, the incident commander with the state emergency management agency, said the immediate focus was on “making sure people are safe, warm and cared for while we work with our partners to restore essential services.”
Meantime, restrooms were again working at the school in Kwigillingok, where about 350 people had sheltered overnight Tuesday, according to a state emergency management statement.
“Damage to many homes is severe, and the community leadership is instructing residents not to reenter homes due to safety concerns,” it said.
Shelter space closer to home — in the southwest Alaska regional hub of Bethel — had been reaching capacity, officials said.
Zidek did not know how long the evacuation process would take and said authorities were looking for additional sheltering locations. The aim is to get people from congregate shelters into hotel rooms or dormitories, he said.
“I’d like to note that these communities are extremely remote,” Zidek told CBS News. “There are no roads to any of them. The only reliable way to get in and out of them on a regular basis is by air and sometimes storms like the ones that impacted these communities make it impossible to reach them for long periods of time.”
The crisis unfolding in southwest Alaska has drawn attention to Trump administration cuts to grants aimed at helping small, mostly Indigenous villages prepare for storms or mitigate disaster risks.
For example, a $20 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to Kipnuk, which was inundated by floodwaters, was terminated by the Trump administration, a move challenged by environmental groups. The grant was intended to protect to protect the boardwalk residents use to get around the community as well as 1,400 feet of river from erosion, according to a federal website that tracks government spending.
There was limited work on the project before the grant was ended. The village had purchased a bulldozer for shipment and briefly hired a bookkeeper, according to Public Rights Project, which represents Kipnuk.
The group said no single project was likely to prevent the recent flood. But work to remove abandoned fuel tanks and other material to prevent it from falling into the river might have been feasible during the 2025 construction season.
“What’s happening in Kipnuk shows the real cost of pulling back support that was already promised to front line communities,” said Jill Habig, CEO of Public Rights Project. “These grants were designed to help local governments prepare for and adapt to the growing effects of climate change. When that commitment is broken, it puts people’s safety, homes and futures at risk.”
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