Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska

A powerful, ongoing storm in Western Alaska has flooded communities, destroyed homes and left some residents injured by flying debris. Officials say rescue efforts are underway after floodwaters in multiple communities swept homes off their foundations. The remnants of Typhoon Halong tracked farther east than expected, slamming into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta coast early on Sunday morning. Officials said Sunday afternoon that the hardest hit communities appeared to be Kipnuk, Kwigillingok and Napakiak.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

The eastward-shifting track of Halong’s remnants placed the strongest winds and surge squarely over the Y–K Delta, aligning with the widespread flooding and structural damage described here. Subsequent reporting across related posts fills in important updates and regional context:

• Concentrated impacts on the Y–K Delta: Officials reported record water levels—6.6 feet above the normal highest tide at Kipnuk—and at least 51 rescues, with extensive damage to homes and infrastructure. Later updates confirmed one death and two people missing, with about 1,400 people in shelters; Kipnuk’s runway was cracked and fuel facility damage was under assessment for pollution risk. Impacts were more concentrated than 2022’s Merbok event Officials say storm 'completely devastated' Western Alaska communities.

• Kwigillingok perspectives: A displaced resident’s firsthand account captures the sudden, extreme flooding and chaos during peak winds and surge An ‘orchestra from Hell’: A firsthand account of the Halong flood. Later, troopers suspended the search for two missing men from Kwigillingok; the storm’s lone confirmed fatality was a 67-year-old woman from the community ‘No home to go to’: Hundreds of evacuees need shelter as catastrophic Western Alaska storm empties inundated villages.

• Evacuations and sheltering in Norton Sound: Anticipating coastal flooding and high winds, Shaktoolik evacuated residents to Unalakleet. Winds peaked near 69 mph in Unalakleet, peeling roofing—including at the U.S. Post Office—before power was restored and evacuees began returning as damage assessments showed mostly minor structural impacts in Shaktoolik Unalakleet shelters dozens of Shaktoolik residents as ex-typhoon sweeps Norton Sound.

• Statewide support for displaced residents: Anchorage extended a local emergency to support evacuees from Western Alaska, preparing to host up to 1,600 people, coordinating school enrollments, and channeling significant community donations for relief Anchorage city leaders declare local disaster to assist hundreds displaced by Western Alaska storms.

• Lead-up and evolving forecasts: Days before Halong’s remnants arrived, the Governor declared a disaster for earlier storm impacts and warned that the second system could bring stronger winds and surge Governor declares disaster in western Alaska, second storm incoming. Some Yukon Delta communities initially reported flooding with little damage on Oct. 10, underscoring how quickly conditions deteriorated as Halong’s track shifted east Flooding, but no damage reported for Yukon Delta coastal communities after powerful fall storm.

• Context from recent and past storms: Earlier flooding and erosion events across Western Alaska in 2024 described severe damages to homes, boardwalks, and critical infrastructure, and noted increasing vulnerability to climate impacts Coastal Yukon River faces flood advisory as lower Kuskokwim catalogs flood impacts. Posts from 2022’s Merbok documented widespread coastal damage and highlighted how the lack of sea ice worsened erosion and storm impacts Typhoon Merbok pounded Alaska’s vulnerable coastal communities at a critical time; see also Powerful storm slams Western Alaska and Typhoon Merbok in Tununak.

• Longer-term outlook: Research cited in a Toksook Bay post projects a 25–50% increase in high-wind storms in Western Alaska by late century, which could accelerate erosion in riverine and coastal communities Storms, high winds projected to be more frequent in Western Alaska.

Taken together, these posts show how Halong’s unusual track intensified impacts in the Y–K Delta, produced record water levels and extensive rescues, and triggered substantial evacuations and sheltering—while fitting into a broader pattern of recent severe fall storms and longer-term projections for more frequent high-wind events.