Western Alaska reels as storm aftermath prompts mass evacuations

Historic storms that lashed Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta earlier this month have left behind devastation across the southwestern part of the state, prompting mass evacuations from the remote region. At least one death has been directly attributed to the remnants of Typhoon Halong, with more than 1,500 people displaced by destruction from hurricane-force winds and high surf. Indigenous coastal communities are particularly affected, prompting a race for relief efforts as winter prepares to set in.

‘Absolute devastation’

Within the “remote” area affected by the weekend’s storm, the “hardest-hit communities” are Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, where high winds and rain “damaged every single home,” including pulling off some of their foundations, The Guardian said. “It’s catastrophic in Kipnuk,”