In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska, experiences flooding on October 8. AP
One of the "most significant" airlifts in Alaska history is underway to evacuate hundreds from villages on the state’s southwest coast that were inundated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend, officials said Wednesday. The storm slammed into coastal villages, bringing a record storm surge that swept away homes – some with people still inside – and left 1,500 residents in makeshift shelters.
One person died and two remain missing following the storm.
The communities of Kipnuk, population about 715, and Kwigillingok, population about 380, had asked the state to evacuate residents, said Jeremy Zidek, emergency management office spokesman.
About 300 evacuees were being brought to Anchorage, hundreds of miles from the battered communities, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. They were going to the Alaska Airlines Center, a sports and events complex with capacity for about 400 people, Zidek said.
