A week after Typhoon Halong passed through Japan in early October, its remnants crossed the Pacific Ocean and struck western Alaska. About 50 Alaska Native communities The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta near the Bering Sea experienced high wind speeds, record storm surges and widespread flooding. At least one person died and 1,500 adults and children, mostly Yup'ik, were forced to flee their villages. Initial estimates indicate that the storm 90 percent of houses destroyed in the coastal village of Kipnuk and 35 interest in Quigillingokwhich also faced the release of toxic chemicals into fresh water supplies.
“Recovering from this disaster will take years,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. at the annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives last month.. “Once the floodwaters recede, and after the damage to the homes and fishing camp is counted, there will be so much work left to do and so much treatment will be needed.”
State and federal resources are mobilized to respond to a disaster. October 22Along with Gov. Mike Dunleavy declaring a state of emergency and releasing funds for disaster relief, President Donald Trump authorized a declaration of a federal emergency and $25 million in funding for recovery and recovery efforts. Government agencies such as the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management also began relocating evacuees to long-term housing.
“This declaration is a critical step toward recovery, but it must be the start of a broader, more sustainable response,” Vivian Cortius, a Yup’ik representative and CEO of the Association of Village Council Presidents, said in a statement.
Kipnuk and other villages affected by the hurricane have been on the front lines of the fight against climate change for more than a decade. Rising temperatures have caused permafrost to melt, causing land subsidence and flooding throughout the delta. According to According to the Alaska Climate Research Center, Typhoon Halong also showed characteristics consistent with the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures have changed the nature of tropical cyclones, resulting in heavier rainfall, hurricane-force winds and higher waves. For example, the storm surge that hit Kipnuk broke a 25-year-old record.
Many of the Alaska Native villages affected by Typhoon Halong were established in coastal areas as a result of colonial policies imposed by the United States government. When the Russian Empire arrived in Alaska in the early 19th century, fur traders sought to capitalize on the booming industry along the coastline. After Russia sold the land to the United States in 1867, the federal government sought to not only seize and occupy the land, but also encourage assimilation through boarding and day schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The era of boarding schools played a decisive role in the organization of villages. Tribal communities tended to keep their children at home as boarding schools forced them to live away from their tribal culture and have been linked to abuse. As a result, the Yup'ik communities decided to live nearby and send their children to the village. schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
“They were told, or at least implied, if not told, that you need to live here to send your children to school, or they might be sent to boarding school,” said Cheryl Musgrove, director of climate justice programs at the Alaska Institute for Justice, who oversees climate change adaptation, mitigation and relocation with village partners in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
The historic passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, commonly known in the state as ANCSA, also changed where communities settled. The law abolished existing indigenous claims to land in exchange for 44 million acres administered through private regional and rural corporations. These commercial organizations, operating in industries such as logging and oil, created jobs and encouraged settlement in centralized villages and regional centers. As a result, settlements became even more fortified along the coast and near rivers.
Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Given that The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted With Alaska's summer waters expected to become ice-free within the next decade, communities are trying to relocate with the help of tribal corporations. But relocating an entire village is no easy task. Costs are high, and choosing a location to move with the help of a regional corporation can be challenging. For example, 300 people from Newtok, a village north of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, late last year moved 9 miles away to a new village known as Metarvik.. But the infrastructure in Metarvik is already falling apart. Electricity is intermittent, there is no running water, and residents are forced to use 5-gallon buckets as toilets. The project, which was intended to serve as a model for other villages, received millions in federal grants but ultimately lacked federal leadership and did not meet the needs of residents.
Despite the different legal territory and colonial legacy, the federal government still has treaty obligations to Alaska tribes. In May, the Environmental Protection Agency canceled $20 million A flood protection grant awarded by the Biden administration last year. This landmark grant was expected to speed up the resettlement of many villages. The funding cutoff was another example of a lack of federal investment, Musgrove said.
Due to the severity of the hurricane's effects, Quigillingoc leaders decided to begin relocation. The Alaska Institute of Justice will assist in making this decision.
“Nobody knows what the future will bring, and we need serious investment in communities like Quigilingock and Kipnuk to be able to rebuild or relocate them, depending on what they want,” Musgrove said. “That way, they can be safe from the next storm, whenever it comes into view.”
