In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, an aerial view taken during a search and rescue and damage assessment in Deering, Alaska, shows the damage caused by Typhoon Merbok, on Sept. 18, 2022. Authorities are making contact with some of the most remote villages in the United States to determine the need for food and water and assess damage from a massive weekend storm that flooded communities dotting Alaska's vast western coast. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Authorities in Alaska were making contact Monday with some of the most remote villages in the United States to determine their food and water needs, as well as assess the damage after a massive storm flooded communities on the state's vast western coast this weekend.
No one was reported injured or killed during the massive storm - the remnants of Typhoon Merbok - as it traveled north through the Bering Strait over the weekend. However, damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure is only starting to be revealed as floodwaters recede.
About 21,000 residents living in the small communities dotting a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) stretch of Alaska's western coastline - a distance longer than the entire length of California's coast - were impacted by the storm.
Many homes throughout the region were flooded, and some were knocked off their foundations by the rushing waters propelled by strong winds. Officials were starting the process of determining damage to roads, ports, seawalls and water and sewage systems.
The state transportation department said most airports in the area were open, and officials were making either temporary or permanent repairs to the runways that still have issues, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The storm remained stalled Monday in the Chukchi Sea near northwest Alaska, but it was rapidly weakening after at its most powerful stage influencing weather patterns as far away as California.
Coastal flood warnings were extended for an area north of the Bering Strait since water will be slow to recede in towns like Kotzebue, Kivalina and Shishmaref, National Weather Service meteorologist Kaitlyn Lardeo said.
Shishmaref had seen water surges 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) above the normal tide level, while Kotzebue and Kivalina had smaller surges, but were both still without power Monday, she said.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Sunday identified five communities - Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, Golovin, Newtok and Nome - as being greatly impacted by a combination of high water, flooding, erosion and electrical issues. Nome, where one home floated down a river until it was caught by a bridge, was among the many reporting road damage after recording tidal surges 11.1 feet (3.38 meters) above normal.
Zidek said state officials were looking closely at those five, but also reaching out to every community in the region because of the numerous reports of damage.
'œWhile the needs may be greater in some, we don't want to neglect those other communities that have minor issues that still need to be resolved,'ť he said. However, efforts to reach some communities has been difficult due to downed communication lines.
The state's emergency operations center is fully staffed with military, state agencies and volunteer organizations to address the aftermath of the storm.
Alaska National Guard members in the western half of the nation's largest state have been activated to help, either in the communities where they live or elsewhere along the coast, he said.
The American Red Cross has 50 volunteers ready to help and will be sent to communities that are in most need.
Most support personnel will have to be flown to these communities since there are few roads in western Alaska. Providing air support will be the Alaska National Guard, small commuter airlines that routinely fly between these small villages and possibly bush pilots.
Weather always adversely impacts flights in rural Alaska, but Zidek said the forecast seems favorable to conduct the response operations.
'œThree may be another smaller weather front coming in, but it's nothing unusual for this time of the year,'ť he said.
Dunleavy said he would request a federal disaster declaration as soon as agencies gather necessary information about the damage. If approved, the governor said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would cover at least 75% of eligible disaster costs, while the state would pick up the tab for the rest.
On Sunday, Dunleavy said time was of the essence because freeze-up, meaning the start of winter, can happen as early as October.
'œWe just have to impress upon our federal friends that it's not a Florida situation where we've got months to work on this,'ť he said. 'œWe've got several weeks.'ť
Water rushes down Front Street, just a half block from the Bering Sea, in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrew flies over Golovin, Alaska, to assess damage to houses and facilities, Sept. 18, 2022. Authorities are making contact with some of the most remote villages in the United States to determine the need for food and water and assess damage from a massive weekend storm that flooded communities dotting Alaska's vast western coast. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
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Two men walk through rushing water on Front Street, just a half block from the Bering Sea, in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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Water rushes down Front Street, just a half block from the Bering Sea, in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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A home that was knocked off its foundation and floated down Snake River during a severe storm in Nome, Alaska, is caught under a bridge Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast was battered by the storm, which was the remnant of Typhoon Merbok, causing the most damage of any storm in the last half century. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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Waves from the Bering Sea splash up on a jetty on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Nome, Alaska. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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Water surrounds the mini convention center, which is also home to the finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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Water from the Bering Sea, pushed by high winds, rushes into a home's backyard in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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Hoses pump water out the front door of the Bering Sea Bar Grill in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, after the city was flooded when a severe storm hit the community. Just hours after this photo was made, the bar and grill situated just a half block from the Bering Sea burned to the ground. Interim city manager Bryant Hammond said the cause of the fire and whether it was related to the storm were not immediately known. (AP Photo/Peggy Hagerstrom)
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This photo provided by Clarabelle Lewis shows flooding early Saturday morning, Sept. 17, 2022, in Golovin, Alaska, including some homes moved off their foundations by water. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (Clarabelle Lewis via AP)
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A home is seen floating in the Snake River near Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)
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