Some residents are reportedly missing or trapped in houses as a major storm brings high water and winds to Western Alaska. The remnants of Typhoon Halong have already caused damaging flooding in Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, and the storm is expected to continue into Monday, Oct. 13.
The storm brought record water levels to some Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities early on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 12. According to the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), the worst impacts so far were thought to be in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok.
DHSEM spokesman Jeremy Zidek said as many as eight homes have been pushed off their foundations in Kipnuk. And an Association of Village Council Presidents briefing on Oct. 12 reported that 20 people were unaccounted for in Kwigillingok.
Some houses in Kwigillingok have floated to new parts of town or across the river. Ryan David said he was in his house with his four children when he felt the building start to shake.
“The flood lifted us up, and I didn't think it was going to happen,” David said. “And I'm like, I yelled at my kids to get up and group up here on the stairs, just in case we tip over.”
David said his home appears to have floated along a small creek, where it was caught by a bridge. As of early on Oct.12, David said his family remained trapped inside, with a piece of debris blocking his door. He said he’s been in contact with his neighbors whose homes have also moved.
Zidek said the Alaska National Guard’s Rescue Coordination Center was sending searchers by airplane and helicopter to Bethel to stage for possible rescue operations on the morning of Oct. 12.
According to Alaska climatologist Rick Thoman, the storm track had shifted eastward, reducing the winds and water rise originally forecast for St. Lawrence Island, Little Diomede, and parts of the Seward Peninsula. Instead, the remnants of Typhoon Halong hit the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta hardest.
Joshua Ribail, a forecaster at the National Weather Service’s office in Anchorage, said the storm was expected to move north toward the Seward Peninsula later on Oct. 12 and continue up from there.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm’s more eastward track will likely reduce impacts to the Bering Strait region. Still, wind gusts could reach 70 mph in parts of the Norton Sound this afternoon, with elevated water levels expected from the afternoon of Oct. 12 into the morning of Oct. 13.
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3:50 p.m. Injuries reported, search and rescue underway
The Alaska Association of Village Council Presidents announced in a press release that an unspecified number of people had been hurt by flying debris. The release said that residents in some communities were sheltering in school gyms, some of them running on generator power, and that some affected communities did not have health aides.
The release said significant damage had been reported in Kipnuk, Kwigillingok and Napakiak.
Meanwhile, the Alaska National Guard announced in a press release that five helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft from the Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard had been assigned to assist search and rescue efforts.
In a video shared on YouTube, the National Weather Service Alaska Region said it had observed wind speeds of 107 mph in Kusilvak and 100 mph in Toksook Bay.
2:05 p.m. Roads closed, power lines down in Bethel
In Bethel, city officials say it appears the water is on track to recede. Sunday morning’s high tide reached nearly 4.6 feet. The high tide expected for just after 10 p.m. is predicted to be just under a foot. Winds are also expected to continue calming in the Bethel area.
At around 9:30 a.m., water spilled over roads near Bethe’s boat harbor and into river- and slough-side neighborhoods. A small barge also appeared to have broken away from its mooring and was up against the Brown Slough bridge. Bethel Police said they have not gotten any updates on potential impacts to the bridge.
The city reports that flooded homes appear to be stable at this time, and while damage is still being assessed, no roads appear to have washed out.
Bethel Police are advising people to remain at home and off the roads unless necessary. Several Bethel power lines remain down, and some roads are closed.
As of Sunday afternoon, Alder and Bridge Streets were closed to inbound traffic. People evacuating from the Brown Slough area can leave through those roads. The city also asked residents to avoid travel around Main Street, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Sixth Avenue.
To report any flood related issues in Bethel, people should call 907-545-3781. For emergencies, dial 911.
1:05 p.m. Governor expands disaster declaration
Gov. Mike Dunleavy amended a disaster declaration issued earlier in the week to include areas of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta affected by the Oct. 11-12 storm. In a written statement, Dunleavy said rescue aircraft from the Alaska National Guard and United States Coast Guard were on the way to Bethel.
“Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm,” Dunleavy said in the statement.
The statement said emergency management specialists were in Bethel, Nome, and Kotzebue to help coordinate disaster response.
According to the state Emergency Operations Center, 172 people in Kipnuk and more than 100 people in Kwigillingok stayed in emergency shelters overnight. Homes in both communities have been reportedly flooded, floated, or knocked off their foundations.
12:45 p.m. Emergency shelter opens in Kotzebue
An emergency shelter is open in Kotzebue at the middle school gymnasium. The city is offering transportation help for Elders and people with reduced mobility. People who need help getting to the shelter should call police dispatch at 907-442-3351.
12:40 p.m. Damage in Kongiganak
Milton Bunyan, tribal police officer in Kongiganak, said that around three houses were lifted off their foundations there.
“It’s very disastrous,” Bunyan said. “Boardwalk through the school is gone. There's the house that has its roof off.”
Bunyan said that the winds calmed down in the village by the afternoon of Oct. 12, but the village officials and residents were still assessing the water levels and the overall situation.
12:30 p.m. Updated high water forecast for Norton Sound
As the storm unfolded on Oct. 12, the National Weather Service moved up its forecasts for water levels above normal high tide for eastern Norton Sound. Unalakleet, on the eastern edge of the Norton Sound, was expected to reach its highest water levels at 3 p.m., with water slowly receding into the evening. Nome, meanwhile, was forecast to reach its highest water levels at 11 p.m.
Thoman said waves from storms passing through the Bering Strait usually reach Nome first, then flood into the Norton Sound to the east.
“Because the low track was so far to the east of Nome, those usual rules of thumb are out the window,” Thoman said. “It’s all related to this very unusual storm track.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.