Construction crews in Kipnuk are struggling to repair homes where ninety percent of properties sustained damage and dozens were knocked completely off their foundations. Federal funding aims to render residences minimally habitable before Thanksgiving, but these grants fall short of covering complete rebuilding costs for the hardest-hit homes. Meanwhile, displaced families scattered across larger cities face severe barriers to their traditional hunting and gathering practices. The state has formally appealed for supplementary aid to construct replacement homes and address long-term recovery needs.
Key points
Displaced residents living in cities like Anchorage face cultural disruption and reduced…: Displaced residents living in cities like Anchorage face cultural disruption and reduced use of their native language, Yugtun.
Federal aid is expected to make most homes livable by Thanksgiving, but full property res…: Federal aid is expected to make most homes livable by Thanksgiving, but full property restorations remain unfunded.
The local school currently has no reopening timeline, leaving families completely uncerta…: The local school currently has no reopening timeline, leaving families completely uncertain about when normal community life can resume.
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Last fall, the remnants of Typhoon Halong tore through numerous small Alaska Native villages off the road system in Western Alaska. The storm destroyed infrastructure, floated homes off their foundations, and displaced over a thousand people. A year later, hundreds remain displaced as the slow work of repair in a remote part of the state continues. And in one of the hardest hit communities – the small town of Kipnuk – people still aren't sure when they'll be moving back.
'Working as fast as we can'
The village of under 200 homes is situated on the wide open tundra and only consistently accessible by plane.
A year ago, 90% of the residences here were damaged by the remnants of Typhoon Halong, according to the State of Alaska's Emergency Operations Center. Dozens were swept off their foundations, some with families still inside. The community is now largely scattered across Alaska – some outside the region their ancestors have lived in for thousands of years.
Throughout the past year, crews have been working on repairs.
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