Hundreds evacuated, homes destroyed as Alaska communities reel from devastating flooding
On Thursday, 264 people were evacuated by the Alaska National Guard.
In the aftermath of a destructive typhoon, historic floodwaters have destroyed remote communities across western Alaska, forcing hundreds of evacuations that could continue for days, officials said.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy toured the damage in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok on Friday, telling reporters, "Kipnuk's in bad shape. It’s a disaster area. Homes are tossed everywhere. It looks like a blast radius because of the surge and the wind."
He added, "There’s a handful of people still there, trying to get aspects of the village back together."
The devastating floods were fueled by remnants of Typhoon Halong, which originated in the northern Philippine Sea on Oct. 5.
The typhoon brought massive flooding to Alaska, sweeping across the west coast of the state on Monday and dumping more than 6 feet of water in some areas. Along with coastal flooding, wind gusts reached 50 to 100 mph in some of the 49 communities affected.
"This is still a very much fluid situation; we are still in the process of evacuating hundreds of people from the affected towns," Michelle Torres, the outreach branch chief for the state of Alaska, told ABC News on Thursday.
Remote, coastal towns have been hit the hardest by the floods. Hundreds of Alaskans have been evacuated by the Alaska National Guard, according to Jeremy Zidek from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The evacuations of these flooded-out, smaller communities will continue "for days," Zidek said. Both local agencies and private charters are being used for the evacuations, Zidek said.
At least one person has died from these floods, with two people remaining missing, officials said.
Photos from the Alaska National Guard show around 300 displaced individuals taking shelter in a C-17 aircraft.
"Through it all, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors, evacuating those displaced, flying supplies and lending a helping hand wherever it's needed most," the Alaska National Guard said in a statement on Friday.
At least 2,000 people from rural Alaska have been displaced, according to the Alaska Community Foundation.
"Alaskans have already come together to raise more than $1 million in support - and the fund is still growing," the Alaska Community Foundation said in a news release.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 38 people from the flood and helped "evacuate 28 people from a temporary shelter."
"The Coast Guard continues to support the state of Alaska's response efforts in impacted communities," Noem said in a post on X on Thursday.
Dunleavy said he signed an application for a Presidential Disaster Declaration, asking President Donald Trump to "declare a major disaster for Alaska" as a result of this storm.
Dunleavy previously declared a state of emergency for "all areas impacted or threatened by these storms."
Alaska previously experienced major flooding in 2023 when a glacier lake outburst occurred on the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 12 miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The 2023 flooding destroyed homes situated along the river, with decades' worth of erosion happening in one weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
ABC News' Matt Gutman and Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.
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