Students from two Alaska Native villages nearly destroyed by flooding last month are hearing a familiar language at their new school in Anchorage.

Many of the Alaska Native students have enrolled in the novel Yup’ik language immersion program at College Gate Elementary School in Anchorage, where not only is the language taught but also the Yup’ik culture _ giving them some reminders of what they’ve lost.

Sea surges from the remnants of Typhoon Halong flooded many villages along Alaska’s southwest coast the weekend of Oct. 11. In two low-lying Yup’ik villages, the raging water tripped homes off their foundations. The homes traveled miles in the fast-moving current, sometimes with their frightened homeowners still in the houses.

The village of Kipnuk saw 90% of its structures destroyed, and there was also severe damage in Kwigillingok. Many residents of those two communities were airlifted to shelters at the sports arena, the Alaska Airlines Center, and a downtown convention center. The evacuated residents are now taking living in motels or other rentals waiting for more permanent housing.

When they first arrived at the arena, one of the first people to greet them was Darrell Berntsen. He’s the principal at College Gate Elementary, and he told them they were welcome at the school and the district was there to support them.

There are over 100 languages spoken in the homes of Anchorage School District students with Yup’ik the fifth highest language. Spanish is the most spoken language other than English, with Hmong, Samoan, Korean and Tagalog also ranking high.

The school district’s first language immersion program was Japanese in 1989 and others followed, including two in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, German, French and the only Russian immersion program in the U.S.

Every time a language was added, people asked the district why not an Alaska Native language, said Brandon Locke, the world language director. Yup’ik was subsequently added with support of Anchorage residents and a federal grant to fund it.

It’s intended as a K-12 immersion program, with the first students in the program now in middle school.

College Gate supports students in grades K-5. The students are immersed in Yup’ik for half the day, learning Yup’ik literacy, language, science, social students and culture, Locke said. The other half of the day is taught in English.

Ellyne Aliralria, a 10-year-old from Kipnuk, says she’s enjoying the immersion program but she’s finding it a little hard. That’s because the Yup’ik words and phrases are a little different than the dialect she’s used to in her village.

Another transfer from Kipnuk, Rayann Martin, is learning more Yup’ik, and that’ s a plus as she is able to communicate with her mother, teachers and classmates.

This is a big change for Martin. She says, “I usually speak more Yup’ik in villages, but mostly more English in cities.”

The program is open to all students, including non-Yup’ik students speakers.

The new Yup’ik students are resilient, but they’ve also been through a lot of trauma.

“We’re homesick,” Ellyne said.

The state is trying to get people back in homes in their villages, but it could take 18 months for that to happen.

Tracy Frost, the school's nurse, is Yup'ik and supports the displaced students medically, mentally and spiritually. After first arriving at the school, they were excited.

"As that wears off, a little bit more of them come into my office, you know, missing home or missing something, some part of their life that they no longer have, unfortunately," Frost said. "The great part about the College Gate Yup'ik immersion program is it's familiar to them, having them lost everything (they) can come here and still have a piece of that."

AP Video by Mark Thiessen