Multiple rescues as Alaska storm sweeps away homes
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Flooding impacting a property in western Alaska. Photo: Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management/Facebook
Western Alaska was being slammed by flooding rains and hurricane-force winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong that are set to impact multiple communities in the region through Monday.
The latest: Flying debris injured some people and there was no immediate health aid for several communities due to the storm that prompted water rescues in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, the Alaska Association of Village Council Presidents said in a statement that noted residents in some communities were sheltering in school gyms.
The big picture: At least 16 people were rescued and eight homes were "pushed from their foundations" in Kipnuk, and at least 18 people were saved and three remained unaccounted for in Kwigillingok Sunday evening, per posts to X by the Alaska State Troopers.
- "Troopers have received secondhand reports of people who are unaccounted for in Kipnuk and are continuing to work with local officials to verify and confirm how many people are missing," the AST said.
- "Search efforts will be continuing overnight as conditions allow," added the AST, which was coordinating and assisting with multi-agency search and rescue operations that also involved the Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard.
State of play: After Typhoon Halong moved into the Bering Sea, communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Nunivak Island "experienced hurricane-force winds, some over 100 mph, and significant storm surges, leading to widespread flooding," the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said on Facebook Sunday.
- The communities of Kwigillingok and Kipnuk were pummeled with "strong winds and heavy flooding overnight, which caused significant damage," the Alaska State Troopers said on X
- Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy expanded his disaster declaration on Sunday to include more areas impacted by the storm.
By the numbers: Kipnuk saw a record 6.6 feet above the normal highest tide line on Saturday, "almost 2 feet higher than the previous record," said meteorologist David Kramer in a Sunday video posted to the National Weather Service's YouTube channel.
- Kwigillingok saw a record 6.3ft above the normal highest tide line, Kramer said.
What we're watching: "A Flood Advisory from Bethel south to
the mouth of the Kuskokwim River remains in effect until Monday
morning," according to a forecast discussion by the NWS' Alaska Aviation Weather Unit.
Between the lines: Climate change is causing extreme precipitation events to be more intense and frequent, multiple studies show.
Go deeper: Powerful storm threatens U.S. East Coast with flooding rains
Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of rescue operations.
