(NEW YORK) — In the aftermath of a destructive typhoon, historic floodwaters have destroyed remote communities across western Alaska, causing hundreds of evacuations that could continue for days, officials said.
“This is still a very much fluid situation; we are still in the process of evacuating hundreds of people from the affected towns,” Michelle Torres, the outreach branch chief for the state of Alaska, told ABC News on Thursday.
These devastating floods were fueled by remnants of Typhoon Halong, which originated in the northern Philippine Sea on Oct. 5. This typhoon brought the massive flooding to these western regions of Alaska on Saturday night into Sunday, sweeping across the west coast of the state on Monday and dumping more than 6 feet of water in some areas. Along with coastal flooding, wind gusts reached 50 to 100 mph in some of the 49 communities affected.
Remote, coastal towns have been hit the hardest by the floods, including Kipnuk, Alaska, which is about 500 miles from Anchorage.
So far, 264 people were evacuated on Thursday and 211 on Wednesday from these impacted communities by the Alaska National Guard, according to Jeremy Zidek from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The evacuations of these flooded-out, smaller communities will continue “for days” as there are likely hundreds left to be evacuated, Zidek said. Both local agencies and private charters are being used for the evacuations, Zidek said.
At least one person has died from these floods, with two people remaining missing, officials said. But, officials said there is currently no concern that additional people may be missing.
Photos from the Alaska National Guard show around 300 displaced individuals taking shelter in a C-17 aircraft.
“Through it all, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors, evacuating those displaced, flying supplies and lending a helping hand wherever it’s needed most,” the Alaska National Guard said in a statement on Friday.
At least 2,000 people from rural Alaska have been displaced, according to the Alaska Community Foundation.
“Alaskans have already come together to raise more than $1 million in support – and the fund is still growing,” the Alaska Community Foundation said in a news release.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 38 people from the flood and helped “evacuate 28 people from a temporary shelter.”
“The Coast Guard continues to support the state of Alaska’s response efforts in impacted communities,” Noem said in a post on X on Thursday.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Thursday that he signed an application for a Presidential Disaster Declaration, asking President Donald Trump to “declare a major disaster for Alaska” as a result of this storm.
Dunleavy previously declared a state of emergency for “all areas impacted or threatened by these storms.”
Alaska previously experienced major flooding in 2023 when a glacier lake outburst occurred on the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 12 miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The 2023 flooding destroyed homes situated along the river, with decades’ worth of erosion happening in one weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.
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