Remnants of Typhoon Halong battered western Alaska in early October, displacing over 1,500 mostly Yup’ik residents and destroying homes in coastal villages. The storm highlighted how historical policies have left Indigenous communities exposed to intensifying climate threats. Federal and state aid has been mobilized, but recovery faces long-term challenges including relocation efforts.
In early October, after passing through Japan, Typhoon Halong's remnants crossed the Pacific and hit western Alaska, affecting nearly 50 Alaska Native communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta near the Bering Sea. The storm brought towering winds, a record storm surge that broke a 25-year-old mark in Kipnuk, and widespread flooding. At least one person died, and 1,500 adults and children, mostly Yup’ik, were displaced. Initial estimates indicate the typhoon decimated 90 percent of homes in Kipnuk and 35 percent in Kwigillingok, where toxic chemicals also spilled into the freshwater supply.
“It’s going to take years to recover from the disaster,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said at the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual convention last month. “After the floodwaters recede, and after the damage to the homes and the fish camp is calculated, there’s so much work that remains and so much healing that is needed.”
On October 22, Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a state emergency and released disaster relief funds, while President Donald Trump authorized a federal emergency declaration and $25 million for recovery and rebuilding. State agencies, including the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, are relocating evacuees to long-term housing. “This declaration is a critical step toward recovery, but it must be the beginning of a broader, sustained response,” said Vivian Korthius, Yup’ik CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents.
These villages have faced climate change impacts for over a decade, with melting permafrost causing land subsidence and flooding. The Alaska Climate Research Center noted that Typhoon Halong showed climate change effects, such as heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Historical U.S. colonial policies contributed to their coastal locations: after Russia's 1867 sale of Alaska, the government promoted assimilation via Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, leading Yup’ik communities to settle near village schools to avoid boarding schools. “They were told, or at least it was implied... that you need to settle here to send your kids to school, or they may be sent away to boarding school,” said Sheryl Musgrove, climate justice programs director at the Alaska Institute for Justice.
The 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) further centralized settlements by exchanging land claims for 44 million acres managed by for-profit corporations, encouraging coastal and riverine development. With NOAA predicting ice-free Alaska summer waters in the next decade, relocation is urgent but challenging. For example, Newtok's move to Metarvik last year faced infrastructure failures like intermittent electricity and lack of running water despite federal grants. In May, the EPA canceled a $20 million flood protection grant. Kwigillingok leaders now plan relocation, aided by the Alaska Institute for Justice. “No one knows what the future brings, and we need serious investments... so they can be safe from that next storm,” Musgrove added.