At least 34 individuals were rescued over the weekend as Alaska’s coastal regions experienced extreme flooding and hurricane-force wind gusts in the aftermath of Typhoon Halong.
According to Fox Weather, the remnants of Typhoon Halong have resulted in a major coastal storm that has led to huge waves, hurricane-force wind gusts, and devastating flooding for the Kuskokwim Delta region and multiple communities south of the Bering Strait in Alaska.
Fox Weather reported that some areas in Western Alaska have been hit with sustained winds of up to 60 miles per hour, with one wind gust reaching 100 miles per hour on Sunday.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) announced on Sunday that he had expanded Alaska’s disaster declaration and assured residents that “help is on the way.”
In a Sunday post on Facebook, the Alaska State Troopers announced that at least 18 individuals were rescued in Kwigillingok and at least 16 individuals were rescued in Kipnuk after search and rescue crews conducted operations to search for missing individuals and those displaced due to the “powerful storm system that impacted multiple coastal communities in Western Alaska.”
READ MORE: Major flooding forces evacuations in Alaska
“Three people remain unaccounted for in Kwigillingok,” the Alaska State Troopers stated. “Troopers have received secondhand reports of people who are unaccounted for in Kipnuk and are continuing to work with local officials to verify and confirm how many people are missing. Search efforts will be continuing overnight as conditions allow.”
Sunday’s post noted that search and rescue operations were being conducted by the Alaska State Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Air National Guard, and the Alaska Army National Guard.
Commenting on the current conditions in Alaska, Rep. Nick Begich tweeted, “Many communities across Western Alaska are facing devastating flooding and storm damage from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. What we’re seeing is wide ranging in both scale and impact, from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok to Kongiganak.”
Pictures of the damage caused by the massive flooding in Alaska have been shared on X, formerly Twitter.