Video shows hundreds airlifted from flood-ravaged Alaska villages

Hundreds of people living in remote villages in western Alaska were airlifted to safety Thursday

The mass evacuations come after the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought high winds and heavy

rains to the region Sunday, which caused flooding that destroyed homes in Kipnok and Kulingok

The water rose more than six feet higher than the usual highest tide level

according to the Associated Press. One person is confirmed dead due to the flooding

and at least two people are missing. More than 1,400 people have been forced to leave their homes

Residents spoke with the Associated Press about the heroin ordeal. It's a nightmare what we went through

But I thank God we are together. It was like a big earthquake, especially with water

We were scared that the glass window was going to break Because the water was hidden, the water was hidden the window really pretty hard

The storm caused historic flooding that destroyed homes in native low-lying communities

The flooding was so powerful that entire homes were swept away. Tragically, some people were still inside those homes when it happened

The villages are so remote that during this time of year, they can only be reached by boat or plane, since they aren't connected to the state's main road system

Now, because of this, many people had to be flown by military plane to Anchorage

which is about 500 miles east, in order to find safety and temporary housing

Evacuees were given a safe place to stay The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Alaska Airlines Sports Center In our village we say that we Native strong

We have Native pride and nothing can break us down. But this is the hardest that we went through

But everybody's sticking together. The village of Kipnuk is sticking together. Everybody's talking to each other, making sure everybody's okay

Hugging them and making sure that they have everything they need. So everybody's taking care of everybody. We're all thankful that we're all alive

The Associated Press spoke to a climate specialist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks who said

rebuilding will be tough, especially with winter approaching. I think the main thing I would restress is that the recovery is just complicated because these

are remote communities because there is no road connections and many of the airstrips are not big

enough. You can't physically land a jet aircraft in there to haul in lots of supplies. They're not

built for that. Vice President J.D. Vance said the federal government is working closely with

Senator Dan Sullivan and Governor Mike Dunleavy to get residents the help that they need

President Trump and I are closely tracking the storm devastation that resulted in over 1,000 citizens being airlifted out of Alaska villages

Alaskans, our prayers are with you, Vance posted on X. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan

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