Authorities in Alaska are carrying out one of the most significant airlifts in the state's history after a weekend storm devastated two remote coastal villages, displacing more than 1,500 people. The operation is relocating hundreds of residents from communities hit by the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which battered the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta with fierce winds, rain and a record storm surge.
The hardest-hit villages are Kipnuk, with a population of 715, and Kwigillingok, home to 380 people. Many of those displaced have been staying in shelters with limited power and bathroom access. Alaska's department of military and veterans affairs said about 300 evacuees are being transported to Anchorage, where a 5,000-seat arena has been converted into an American Red Cross shelter. Hundreds of disaster workers have been deployed to assist the affected communities.
Local officials acknowledged that not everyone will be willing to leave. Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the emergency management office, said on Wednesday evening that some residents might choose to stay behind or remain with others. Shelter space in Bethel, the regional hub, was reaching capacity. At a school in Kwigillingok where many took refuge, toilets were not working, and power and telecommunications in Kipnuk were patchy, according to Buggy Carl, a Kipnuk tribal administrator.
The storm brought hurricane-force winds and pushed tides 6ft (1.8 metres) above normal, according to the National Weather Service. Mark Roberts, an incident commander with the state emergency management division, described the situation as catastrophic. 'It is as bad as you can think,' he said during a news conference on Tuesday. The villages, located near the Bering Sea coast, are only accessible by boat or air.
The crisis has drawn attention to cuts to federal grants intended to help small, largely Indigenous villages prepare for storms. A $20m Environmental Protection Agency grant to Kipnuk was terminated by the Trump administration, a move challenged by environmental groups. At least one person, 67-year-old Ella Mae Kashatok, was killed, and two others are missing. The search for Vernon Pavil, 71, and Chester Kashatok, 41, was called off on Monday night after their home floated away. Carl said his focus was simple: 'Right now, just trying to convince everybody to go before the next storm hits.'
