Urgent Recovery Efforts in Western Alaska Following Typhoon Halong

Tue Oct 21 2025 22:59:10 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As winter approaches, Alaska officials prioritize rebuilding infrastructure and housing for communities devastated by Typhoon Halong's remnants, where significant destruction has been reported.

The mass evacuation of residents affected by Typhoon Halong in Western Alaska has concluded, allowing officials to focus on stabilizing the damaged infrastructure of communities, particularly Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. Initial estimates indicate that 90% of buildings in Kipnuk are destroyed. The situation remains critical as authorities work against the clock to address the damages before winter freezes set in. Organizations and tribal leaders are collaborating on recovery efforts amidst concerns over contaminated water supplies and pressing needs for ongoing assistance.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The mass evacuation by military aircraft of hundreds of residents from Alaska villages ravaged by the remnants of Typhoon Halong is complete, and officials and local leaders are turning attention to trying to stabilize damaged infrastructure and housing where they can before the winter freeze sets in.

The focus of major response efforts following back-to-back storms that battered western Alaska has been the Yup’ik communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which are near the Bering Sea and have histories of flooding. While more than a dozen communities reported damage from the remnants of Halong earlier this month, Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were devastated by storm surge and water levels that reached record highs.

Homes were swept away, some with people inside. Winds in the region shook and tossed buildings like toys. First responders recounted rescuing people from rooftops. One person died, and two remain missing.

Initial estimates suggest 90% of buildings were destroyed in Kipnuk, with the fresh water supply seemingly contaminated by fuel and sewage, according to a report released Monday by Alaska’s emergency management division. About 35% of buildings in Kwigillingok were destroyed, the report states.

An Alaska Native organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, is calling for extensive immediate aid, urging the state and federal governments “to make sustained investments in permanent Alaska Arctic infrastructure and protective measures.”

As winter approaches, the urgency to restore damaged infrastructures is heightened, with personnel and supplies sent into affected communities for emergency repairs. With freezing conditions anticipated soon, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. is actively managing recovery efforts alongside other tribal organizations to salvage and repair homes.

Damaged

The Anchorage School District has begun welcoming 65 displaced students, providing them with emergency supplies and support as they adjust to new conditions amidst recovery from the storm.