Alaska airlifts hundreds from coastal villages hit by typhoon

Alaska is undertaking one of the most significant airlifts in its history as hundreds of people are being evacuated from coastal villages hit hard by Typhoon Halong last weekend, according to officials.

The storm resulted in record water levels hitting two low-lying communities, washing away homes with some people inside, The Associated Press reported. About 1,500 people went to makeshift shelters in a region that's sparsely populated, where communities are reachable by air or water.

Water levels of more than 6 feet above the highest normal tide line hit the communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok near the Bering Sea. Community leaders asked the state to evacuate the more than 1,000 residents in those villages, according to state emergency management office spokesperson Jeremy Zidek.

Emergency management officials said that even with emergency repairs, some homes cannot be reoccupied, and others may not be livable by winter. According to weather forecasters, rain and snow are possible in the region this weekend, with average temperatures soon below freezing.

The state emergency management agency incident commander, Mark Roberts, said the immediate focus was on “making sure people are safe, warm and cared for while we work with our partners to restore essential services.”

At the school in Kwigillingok, where about 350 people had sheltered overnight Tuesday, restrooms were working again, according to a state emergency management statement.

“Damage to many homes is severe, and the community leadership is instructing residents not to reenter homes due to safety concerns,” the statement said.

Shelter space in the area had been reaching capacity, according to officials. As a result, about 300 evacuees were brought to Anchorage on Wednesday, about 500 miles east of the coastline villages, according to the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The evacuees were going to the Alaska Airlines Center, a sports and events complex with capacity for about 400, Zidek said.

He added that he did not know how long the evacuation process would take, and that authorities were looking for additional sheltering locations. Zidek said the goal is to get people from congregate shelters into hotel rooms or dormitories.