Construction workshop gives Kipnuk storm evacuees new skills, new hope

For several southwest Alaska communities, it will take years to replace what was lost in one night of hurricane force winds and floods, unleashed from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. Some may never rebuild completely.

How and where to begin is a question that seven trainees tackled at a construction workshop offered by the Alaska Works Partnership, a non-profit agency funded mostly by the state.

Most of the apprentices were from Kipnuk, one of the hardest hit communities. They evacuated to Anchorage after the storm struck the Western Alaska coast on Oct. 9.

“They just lost their homes,” said Tiffany Caudle, the training coordinator for Alaska Works Partnership. “They lost everything.”

But Caudle says the workshop comes at a good time.

“I do think this is really helping them stay posit