Remnants of Typhoon Halong Sweep Through Alaska

Nicole Campos Villaran

A typhoon usually begins as a tropical depression that turns into a tropical storm when winds reach 39 miles per hour, then becomes a hurricane (typhoon) when winds reach 74 mph.

The devastating storm happened on Sunday, Oct. 12, tearing through Alaska’s southwest coast. Many people believe that the storm was unusual because Merbok happened in 2022, but it’s similar to Halong. A week earlier, there had been a typhoon east of Japan, and the stream picked it up, carrying it to the northeast.

The weather was able to track it going to the Bering Sea, but as soon as the storm approached Alaska, it changed. The weather recorded the storm as a fast-moving storm, and Halong shifted to an unusual track, moving between Saint Lawrence Island and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta coast. Unlike Merbok, which was well recorded, Halong wasn’t clear until 36 hours after crossing into Alaska waters. This made it too difficult to evacuate everyone effectively in many places. I understand that the late notice made it difficult to effectively evacuate everyone, but there could have been an attempt to notify and warn these communities.

More than 1,200 people have had their homes destroyed, and a minority of this destruction happened in the towns of Kipnuk (population 715) and Kwigillingok (population 380). However, there were a total of 49 communities that have been affected. The evacuees and rescuers described the massive destruction as utility poles snapping in half. There has been one death confirmed and two people still missing as of last Tuesday.

The most terrifying part is that there is no road access to other areas of Alaska, and many residents have been forced to seek shelter wherever they can. In terms of recovery, many people have found themselves in a difficult spot. Do they leave their community for the winter and hope to rebuild next summer? There is now limited housing in the region, creating a housing shortage.

Like many communities, it’s difficult to rebuild in places like Kipnuk. It’s not as easy as calling a contractor because the supplies have to come in by barge, and during this time of year, that cannot happen. There are limited roads, and the runways for small planes are not big enough for cargo planes.

Climate change is playing a role in this terrible storm by increasing its intensity. While climate change may not be significantly increasing the total number of storms globally, it does make these storms more deadly with higher wind speeds and heavier rainfall. This contributes to rising sea levels, which worsen coastal flooding.