Houses floated away in this Alaska Native village. Now residents want to move

"When the remnants of Typhoon Halong arrived in the low-lying village of Kwigillingok, on Alaska's southwestern coast, late in the night on Oct. 11, Noah Andrew Sr. says the water rose and his house rocked. "When we started floating away," says Andrew, who's 74 years old, "water started to come into the house through the door. And we tried to stop it by putting towels [down], but that didn't stop it." The water got ankle deep."

"Andrew estimates the house floated 2 miles with him inside, fortunately inland and not out to sea. Now this lifelong Kwigillingok resident and Russian Orthodox priest says he's ready to leave. "I don't want to come back here again. I don't want to go through what we went through again." Human-caused climate change, from burning fossil fuels, has people around the U.S. considering whether to resettle in safer places. For some Alaska Native villages, the issue is urgent."

"The remnants of Typhoon Halong devastated the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok in October. Authorities say 678 people remain evacuated from these communities, where the Yup'ik language Yugtun is many residents' first language. Kwigillingok has navigated the effects of climate change for decades as permafrost beneath the village thawed and erosion and flooding became more severe. In recent years, the village has sought to relocate to higher ground and further inland, hoping to keep the community together."

Remnants of Typhoon Halong caused severe flooding in Kwigillingok, rocking homes and allowing water into houses until some structures floated. Dozens of residents experienced homes floating inland and many evacuated for safety. Authorities report 678 people remain displaced from Kwigillingok and Kipnuk, where Yup'ik Yugtun is widely spoken. Kwigillingok has long faced thawing permafrost, accelerated erosion, and increased flooding. The village has sought relocation to higher ground to preserve the community, but no concrete plan or committed funding exists. Returning residents would face continued hazards from flooding, erosion, and melting permafrost, and many evacuees are now living in larger cities.

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