Emergency crews airlifted dozens of people in western Alaska to safety, as flooding caused by the remnants of Typhoon Halong wreaked havoc on remote coastal communities and tore houses off their foundations. Alaska’s National Guard and Coast Guard, along with law enforcement, deployed helicopters and C-130 planes on Sunday to evacuate the low-lying villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after the flooding situation in the region was described as “serious.” The typhoon, which brought winds of up to 80mph and raised water levels by over 7ft, devastated the isolated villages and saw at least 11 homes swept away in the carnage. While no fatalities were immediately reported, residents were reported to have been injured by flying debris from the storm, and there are multiple people still unaccounted for. Kipnuk and Kwigillingok are two of the most isolated communities in the U.S., with populations of less than 500 people and no roads connecting them to the outside world. With another storm forecast for Tuesday, local tribal leaders have sounded the alarm about the increased frequency of such events and have urged officials that communities on the Bering Sea urgently need enhanced resources to face this new normal. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said that “every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm.”
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