KIPNUK, Alaska – Satellite imagery is revealing the scope of the damage left behind after this week’s catastrophic flooding and wind damage from a powerful coastal storm fueled by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.
Wind gusts reached as high as 80-100 mph, driving in a storm surge that pushed water several feet above high tide levels, flooding entire towns and villages. The results were one killed, at least 51 rescued, and hundreds displaced.
Before and after photos from Vantor showing the damage left behind by floods in Alaska from October, 2025.
(Satellite image Copyright 2025 Vantor / FOX Weather)
According to state officials, more than 40 communities were impacted by the storm, including the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok which were among the hardest hit. It triggered what Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy described as what might have been the largest airlift of Alaskans following a disaster in state history. Some 300 displaced residents were placed on a C-17 cargo plane and flown to a shelter in Anchorage.
Video from the city of Bethel showed powerful flooding washing away boats and damaging infrastructure over the weekend. Photos shared by Alaska’s Emergency Management showed dozens of homes surrounded by flooding. At a news conference Monday, the National Weather Service reported water in Kipnuk was 6.6 feet above the normal high-tide level, almost 2 feet above the previous record set in 2000.
Satellite photos from Vantor illustrate what various parts of the town of Kipnuk looked like before and after the devastating floods, when dozens of buildings were damaged or completely washed away.
Before and after photos from Vantor showing the damage left behind by floods in Alaska from October, 2025.
(Satellite image Copyright 2025 Vantor / FOX Weather)
Alaska’s Department of Transportation reported that more than 50 community airports and roads were damaged by the storm. The department noted that many of the villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta aren’t connected by a continuous road system, and local airports are the only connection to outside communities.
“Typhoon Halong has devastated our region and disrupted the lives of all our residents. People have lost loved ones, homes, belongings, in some cases their entire community and their way of life. The evacuation underway is unprecedented in western Alaska – the military and first responders deserve our eternal gratitude,” Coastal Villages Region Fund CEO Eric Deakin said. “Rebuilding will be an enormous challenge at all levels of government, but CVRF stands ready to help. We are moving equipment and supplies into the region, helping assess the damage, and identifying short and long-term needs at the residential and community level. The hard work has already begun.”
Before and after photos from Vantor showing the damage left behind by floods in Alaska from October, 2025.
(Satellite image Copyright 2025 Vantor / FOX Weather)
The National Guard said more than 21,000 pounds of gear and supplies were flown into the region Tuesday.
Officials said the main challenges included removing wet insulation and pumping water out of flooded houses.
The Red Cross told FOX Weather that many communities in western Alaska rely on a traditional subsistence lifestyle, and the impacts of Typhoon Halong could jeopardize food that was being stored for the winter months.
Low temperatures for the region are expected to drop into the 20s over the next several days.
