#typhoon halong

[sea-salted-wolverine]

The thing i dont think outsiders are grasping about the impact of typhoon Halong is that Alaska still has seasons with non negotiable constraints on what is physically possible to achieve.

All our politicians are being very particular about calling evacuees "refugees not homeless" (because no one hates homeless people quite like Alaska) but the reality is that it is mid October and money and willpower doesn't actually rewrite the weather. Let's pretend for a second we have a sympathetic and functional government, that can dump infinite manpower and resources onto a problem that affects a tiny batch of people at the far ends of the earth.

There are no roads. The last fuel barge for the year left and you couldn't get another one out there even if it was already on its way. Heavy equipment and the fuel to run it that's not already there will need to be airlifted out to the villages. Luckily, Alaska is the land of batshit insane pilots who will put a plane down on any surface that looks vaguely flatish, so we can do that but the major issue is the impending freeze up.

If you live somewhere without the kind of winter that we have, it's difficult to even wrap your head around the concept. The ground will freeze, the water will freeze and all the flood damages will essentially become immovable bits of landscape until break up, at which point everything will crumble and rot. Freeze up is maybe 2 weeks out, 3 if we're lucky, but it wouldn't be unheard of if it happened by next weekend now that the low pressure system moved out. The ability to dry things out in that window will dictate what's still standing by spring.

Recovery will be limited to whatever can be achieved in the next few days,and even under the absolute best circumstances that isn't a lot. Rebuilding efforts can only start in spring, and all the issues

For scale, I've added the villages affected in blue. If you draw a line between Barrow (Utqiagvik) and Anchorage the road system is on the east side of the state. The furthest west it is possible to drive on the continuous road system is Anchor Point which is the end of the Kenai peninsula below Anchorage.

[sheydmade]

Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund

Two major storm systems struck western Alaska in rapid succession, bringing record flooding, extreme winds, and extensive damage from Kwigillingok to Kotzebue. Homes have been damaged and destroyed, critical infrastructure compromised, and subsistence resources disrupted. The Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund will provide support to affected communities for immediate relief, recovery support, and long-term resilience, including disaster preparedness initiatives. Distribution decisions will be guided by advisors including regional leaders and stakeholders, ensuring resources reach affected communities based on locally identified needs.

Partner Organizations:

The Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund brings together a growing list of local, regional, and statewide partners endorsing the fund, including:

Association of Village Council Presidents

Alaska Federation of Natives

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

ANCSA Regional Association

Bethel Community Services Foundation

Calista Corporation

Healthy Alaska Natives Foundation

First Alaskans Institute

Kawerak, Inc.

Maniilaq Association

Native Peoples Action

Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation

[ironysgrace]

Several Alaskan Native communities were devastated by the typhoon that hit western Alaska, please spread this information so we can help! I’m begging for your assistance in helping my fellow Alaskan Native Peoples

These communities were very rural(as in you can only get to them by boat or small plane, and only during some parts of the year due to the harsh winter conditions, and it can takes hours) and many relied on subsistence living(hunting, fishing, gathering) to get by, they’ve lost everything including their homes to the sea and are now having to take refuge in cities as Alaska’s winter approach’s

Anchorage(the only major city in Alaska where most are being relocated) is already experiencing a housing/shelter crisis, and while right now in the midst of this emergency it is bringing the community together I fear what may come in the long term

When you live a subsistence lifestyle you don’t keep much money in the bank, and they’re separated from the land that has provided for them. Finding work and new homes is going to be difficult, and the city is full of racist discrimination specifically against native peoples

Please help ease this situation so this transition is even a tiny bit less difficult

[onlytiktoks]

[saywhat-politics]

Alaska storm damage so bad many evacuees won’t go home for at least 18 months, governor says

Damage to remote Alaska villages hammered by flooding last weekend is so extreme that many of the more than 2,000 people displaced won’t be

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Damage to remote Alaska villages hammered by flooding last weekend is so extreme that many of the more than 2,000 people displaced won’t be able to return to their homes for at least 18 months, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a request to the White House for a major disaster declaration.

Typhoon Halong's storm surge ravaged western Alaska towns with floodwaters

[manipulated-pieces]

As the communities in NW Alaska flee their homes to escape the damage and aftermath of typhoon Halong (among others), they are facing the hardships that come with being climate refugees in the US. Several of my connections in Alaska have shared this foundation for collective fundraising. I am working on getting links to individual families but right now this is what I have

[corythesaxon]

Hey y’all with what is happening in Alaska right now to Indigenous communities please share this and if you can donate to these resources.

[willowbilly]

One can find Alaska Public Media reporting on the Typhoon Halong aftermath here.

In addition to the trauma, displacement, and uncertainty that people from Western Alaska have been going through after Typhoon Halong, there was immense damage to village infrastructure, and to the culturally and historically invaluable Nunalleq archeological site.

Over 90% of structures in Kipnuk are estimated to have been destroyed [Source]. A federal disaster which may or may not authorize survivors access to the Individual Assistance program has been declared [X] and village futures hang in the balance [X]. Climate disaster evacuees are still mass sheltering in Anchorage in the hundreds [X], and people's pets are still being evacuated [X]. People will need all the help they can get.

Update: Here's how you can help survivors of the Western Alaska storm

The remnants of Typhoon Halong have killed one person, left two missing, displaced hundreds and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.