Dozens rescued in Alaska after remnants of Typhoon Halong batter region

The remains of a home that collapsed due to erosion from a glacial outburst flood into the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, Aug. 8, 2023. Christopher S. Miller/The Washington Post via Getty Images

(ALASKA) — First responders in Alaska have conducted dozens of rescues after the remnants of Typhoon Halong fueled a powerful storm that battered the region and washed away several homes.

The remnants of Halong — which originated in the northern Philippine Sea on October 5 — intensified the widespread significant weather impacts and massive flooding to the western regions of Alaska Saturday night into Sunday.

Powerful wind gusts and significant coastal flooding were the main impacts from the storm as it swept up across Alaska’s west coast into early Monday morning. Numerous locations across western Alaska reported wind gusts of 40 mph to 60 mph, with isolated gusts topping 70 mph.

Major, and in some cases destructive, coastal flooding hit some communities along the coast as water levels were more than 6 feet above normal high tide levels at times.

Multiple homes were swept away in low-lying coastal towns along the Bering Sea and in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said in a statement.

At least eight homes in the town of Kipnuk were pushed off their foundations, and at least four homes in the town of Kwigillingok were inundated by the flooding, according to Alaska State Troopers.

“Both communities experienced strong winds and heavy flooding overnight, which caused significant damage,” state troopers said in a statement.

In Kipnuk, 172 people stayed at a community shelter overnight Saturday after water levels reached 6.6 feet above the highest tides, according to a press release from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Water levels reached 6.3 feet above the highest tides in Kwigillingok, where 100 people were sheltered overnight, state officials said.

Several communities elsewhere were impacted by high winds and coastal sea surge, which damaged power and communication systems as well as roads, boardwalks and homes, according to state officials.

In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, intense winds and high water were reported in Bethel, Napaskiak, Napakiak and other communities, officials said.

At least 51 people — mostly from Kwigillingok and Kipnuk — were rescued from the floodwaters, according to Alaska State Troopers. At least three people were still missing as of Monday morning, police said.

No fatalities have been reported.

Lingering coastal flooding impacts were expected through Monday, even though the storm has passed. The storm also brought heavy mountain snow to northwestern Alaska before exiting.

Communities across the state have been in peril from floodwaters in recent years.

In 2023, a glacier lake outburst on the Mendenhall Glacier — located about 12 miles north of Juneau, Alaska, destroyed homes situated along the Mendenhall River.

The river surpassed record flood stages in 2024 and this past August, prompting evacuations and damaging hundreds of homes.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an emergency declaration on Thursday, expanding it to include additional regions on Sunday, including Yupiit, Pribilof Island and the Lower Kuskokwim Regional Educational Attendance Areas.

“Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “Help is on the way.”

Sullivan has been in contact with acting FEMA Director David Richardson, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and local, tribal and state officials since Saturday, in anticipation of the storm, he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard have also deployed choppers to the region to provide medical support, search-and-rescue operations and to deliver supplies, Sullivan said. The impacted regions are among the most remote in the country.

“We are all praying for the safety of everyone in Western Alaska,” Sullivan said.

ABC News’ Daniel Peck contributed to this report.