First responders in Alaska have made dozens of rescues after Typhoon Halong battered the region, leaving two villages devastated and officials scrambling to find shelter for more than 1,500 people.
The weekend storm brought high winds and storm surges that swept some homes away in low-lying Alaska Native communities along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the southwest part of the state. At least one person was killed and two were reported missing. The Coast Guard saved two dozen people from their homes after the structures floated out to sea.
By Tuesday evening, Alaska State Troopers announced in a joint decision with the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard to “end active search and rescue efforts at this time” following a “robust and extensive search utilizing drones, boats and aircraft.”
“Alaska State Troopers have notified next of kin that 67-year-old Ella Mae Kashatok was located deceased. Her body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy,” they added. “Two people remain unaccounted for in Kwigillingok.”
Hundreds of people were staying in school shelters, including one with no working toilets, officials said.
Across the region, more than 1,500 people were displaced by the back-to-back storms, with rain and wind forecast for Wednesday.
Dozens were flown to a shelter set up in the National Guard armoury in the regional hub city of Bethel, and officials were considering flying evacuees to longer-term shelter or emergency housing in the areas of Fairbanks and Anchorage.
Officials warned of a long road to recovery, especially in the hardest-hit communities of Kipnuk, with a population of 715, and Kwigillingok, with a population of 380. These villages are off the state’s main road system and only reachable by water or air at this time of year.
“It’s catastrophic in Kipnuk. Let’s not paint any other picture,” Mark Roberts, incident commander with the state emergency management division, told a news conference Tuesday.
“We are doing everything we can to continue to support that community, but it is as bad as you can think.”
Alaska State Troopers said at least 51 people and two dogs were rescued in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after the storm system hit the communities.
A U.S. Coast Guard official, Capt. Christopher Culpepper, described the situation of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as “absolute devastation.”
“Preservation of life is our top priority,” Culpepper said in a news release. “The Coast Guard remains closely connected to the State Emergency Operations Center in full support of combined rescue and response operations alongside State Troopers, National Guard, and various additional agencies.”
“Our hearts are with the residents of both Kwigillingok and Kipnuk during this difficult time,” said Bob Little, the commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District.
“I am grateful to the incredible team of volunteers and first responders who helped ensure the safe recovery of hundreds of people. The Coast Guard remains committed to supporting these communities and ongoing efforts for their recovery.”
— With files from The Associated Press