The remnant storms of Typhoon Halong tore into western Alaska with such ferocity that they pulled Steven Anaver's home from its foundation and buoyed it across choppy water — with him inside.

"I was inches away from death," he wrote on Facebook.

The storms' blistering winds and record-high water levels laid waste to several small communities on Oct. 12, displacing more than 2,000 people and requiring one of the most significant airlift operations in Alaska history. At least one person died, and two others are missing.

The water started rising quickly the night of Saturday, Oct. 11, in Anaver's village of Kwigillingok, where Alaska State Troopers said at least 18 people were rescued. Videos he shared Monday with The Associated Press conveyed the desperate scene as the waters rose ins

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