Construction crews work on houses and other building throughout Kipnuk after ex-typhoon Halong hit Alaska's coast in October of 2025.Gabby Hiestand Salgado/KYUK hide caption 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.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.Kipnuk 10 months after ex-typhoon Halong hit Alaska's coast in October of 2025.
Gabby Hiestand Salgado/KYUK hide caption Throughout the past year, crews have been working on repairs.On a clear day in August, Eddie Chuckwuk's construction crew attempted what sounded like magic: raising a building back onto its foundations using air compressors.Chuckwuk is one of several dozen people who have been working long days to rebuild the place where he grew up."We're working as fast as possible as we can to get the people back in town," Chuckwuk says."That's what I just want to see – for everybody to come back an...