Kipnuk residents await return to homes a year after Typhoon Halong

Residents of Kipnuk are still waiting to return to their homes one year after Typhoon Halong struck.

The storm destroyed 90% of the village's roughly 200 homes in October of last year, according to the State of Alaska's Emergency Operations Center. Dozens of structures were swept off their foundations, and more than 1,000 people across Western Alaska were displaced by the event. In Kipnuk, a community located on the open tundra and accessible primarily by plane, the slow pace of reconstruction has left many unsure of when they will move back.

Construction crews have spent the past year attempting to stabilize the remaining structures. On a clear day in August, Eddie Chuckwuk's team used air compressors to raise a building back onto its foundation. Chuckwuk, a local resident who has been working long days on the repairs, said the goal is to get people home as quickly as possible.

"We're working as fast as possible as we can to get the people back in town," Chuckwuk said. "That's what I just want to see, for everybody to come back and enjoy where they grew up instead of being placed in a different place.. where they're not used to. It's pretty hard."

The State of Alaska estimates that FEMA funding will make most homes livable by Thanksgiving, a date that is now imminent. This work involves replacing wet insulation and fixing windows, doors, and roofs. However, the state notes that most residents lacked home or flood insurance, and current funds are insufficient to restore severely damaged buildings to their pre-storm condition. The state is currently seeking additional funding to build replacement housing, and there is no set date for when the local school will reopen.

Leona Paul, a cook who has fed the construction teams, noted that some residents face psychological barriers to returning. "I think it's too overwhelming for them," Paul said, "especially the older people." Climate change has increased the vulnerability of the village to future storms. Most residents want to rebuild in a safer location, but FEMA money is restricted to repairing existing damage. The village has not yet secured the funding needed to move.

Living in larger towns or cities like Anchorage has proven difficult for displaced families. Residents report speaking less Yugtun, the native language, and living farther from loved ones. Children who are accustomed to playing freely in the village must now watch for cars. Leona Paul, who spent part of the summer in Kipnuk, said she prefers the freedom of the village. "You're free to do anything you want," she said. "In a city you just can't do whatever you want."

Burt Paul's family returned to Kipnuk for the summer to practice subsistence hunting and gathering. Up river on a tundra bluff, they harvested salmonberries, known as naunraqs in coastal Yugtun. Burt Paul, who stayed in Kipnuk as a community leader after the storm, said the shorter trips were important for maintaining cultural practices. "We have to keep things going some way, somehow, no matter what situation we go through," he said.