1 killed, 51 rescued as western Alaska communities devastated by floods caused by Typhoon

Record-setting flooding in western Alaska from the remnants of Typhoon Halong has left at least one person dead after the storm slammed villages and damaged key roads and regional airports along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region over the weekend.

Alaska State Troopers announced late Monday that a woman had been found dead in the small coastal village of Kwigillingok.

Fifty-one people and two dogs were rescued from the village and the village of Kipnuk. Officials said everyone has now been accounted for.

The powerful coastal storm moved into the Bering Sea on Sunday, packing hurricane-force wind gusts, big waves, and major coastal flooding for the Kuskokwim Delta and communities south of the Bering Strait.

However, storm surge and heavy rain have been ongoing since last week from another storm system, creating a dire situation.

The powerful flooding has displaced more than 1,400 people and prompted search and rescue operations by state and federal officials.

Video from the city of Bethel showed powerful flooding washing away boats and damaging infrastructure over the weekend.

Photos shared by Alaska’s Emergency Management showed dozens of homes surrounded by flooding.

Hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 100 mph were reported over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Another video taken in Emmonak showed the powerful winds and surf flipping a boat on its side. 

According to the state’s Division of Homeland Security, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center reported an overwhelming number of calls for non-critical evacuations on Monday, and some 1,400 people are currently being housed across 12 shelters.

Additional first responders and the Alaska National Guard are being deployed to the region. 

According to Alaska State Troopers, more than 30 people were rescued in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities over the weekend.

At least 18 people were rescued in Kwigillingok, and at least 16 people were rescued in Kipnuk, troopers said. 

Alaska’s Department of Transportation reported that more than 50 community airports and roads have been damaged by the storm.

The department noted that many of the villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta aren’t connected by a continuous road system, and local airports are the only connection to outside communities.

A Coastal Flood Warning was in effect through Monday afternoon for much of coastal Alaska.

At a news conference Monday, the National Weather Service reported water in Kipnuk was 6.6 feet above the normal high-tide level, almost 2 feet above the previous record set in 2000. 

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities completed damage surveys of the first coastal storm last week before the renewed threat from Halong arrived over the weekend.

The video above shows the flooding on the Kotz Airport runway after the first round of flooding. 

According to an Alaska nonprofit, the Coastal Villages Region Fund, the devastation from Halong may be beyond that of Typhoon Merbok in 2022.