Storms and flooding in western Alaska

Photo: depositphotos

Rescuers in Alaska are searching around the clock for missing residents and helping more than a thousand others who have lost their homes. Strong winds have already devastated remote coastal communities and caused a record storm surge that has torn homes from their foundations.

The storms in Alaska have already claimed the first life in the village of Kwigillingok. 51 residents were rescued in the village and another 1,400 were taken to shelters. Many residents were also evacuated from the community of Kipnuk. The sparsely populated village is located 650 kilometers southwest of the capital Anchorage.

Western Alaska is facing high winds and widespread flooding from Typhoon Halong, causing extensive damage. The extent of the damage has not yet been assessed, but it is certain that hundreds of homes have been damaged.

Two hundred Alaska National Guard soldiers have already been called in to help. Helicopters are a great help in flooded areas, because roads are flooded. The wind force in western Alaska is equivalent to a category 2 hurricane, thanks to this force a storm surge was formed, which pushed several meters of water onto the land. The water level in Kipnuk rose more than sixty centimeters higher than during the record floods in 2000.

The storm battering Alaska was a typhoon that formed in the Philippine Sea in early October, then skirted Japan and then headed into the North Pacific. Governor Mike Dunleavy said in a statement that a state disaster declaration had been expanded. He also stressed that support would be provided for people in both the short and long term.

Source: CNN, Editorial Weathersunshine.com