Alaska guard C-17 evacuated at least 300 on one flight amid ongoing rescues after floods
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The Alaska Air National Guard C-17 evacuated over 300 civilians from the remote western coast of Alaska to emergency shelters in Anchorage, the latest in the military response to massive flooding caused by Typhoon Halong over the weekend. The crew flew the evacuation from Bethel, the only town along the impacted coast with a runway large enough to handle heavy cargo jets.
Many onboard had been rescued in recent days by Alaska Army and Air Guard teams, Coast Guard and state rescue workers who spent the previous several days finding and moving civilians from surrounding towns where homes and buildings had been left destroyed or uninhabitable by flood waters.
Military and state rescue forces had rescued at least 51 people in those remote villages over the weekend, officials said.
The storm received little attention outside the state, but left a trail of devastation through several coastal villages whose populations are mostly Alaskan natives. The flooding has torn buildings, including some homes, from their foundations and floated them away.
The rescues have taken place in the communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, an Alaska National Guard news release says. At least one person has been killed by the storm and two are missing, the Associated Press is reporting.
Coast Guard crews from Air Station Kodiak have rescued 18 people in Kwigillingok, 16 people in Kipnuk, and transported 28 people from temporary shelter in Kipnuk to Bethel, a Coast Guard news release says.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large">
<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter arrives at Bethel, Alaska to provide support for storm response operations, Oct. 13, 2025. Alaska National Guard photo by Capt. Balinda O’Neal.</figcaption></figure>On Monday evening, the Coast Guard suspended its maritime search and rescue operations. Two residents of Kwigillingok remained unaccounted for at the time. Ground-based efforts will continue to try to find them.
“Our hearts are with the residents of both Kwigillingok and Kipnuk during this difficult time,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, the commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, said in a statement. “I am grateful to the incredible team of volunteers and first responders who helped ensure the safe recovery of hundreds of people. The Coast Guard remains committed to supporting these communities and on-going efforts for their recovery.”
The Alaska Army National Guard has also rescued nine people, and the Alaska Air National Guard had rescued eight people and two dogs. Three people were medically evacuated from Kipnuk to Bethel.
A total of seven aircraft from the Alaska Air and Army National Guard along with the Coast Guard have flown about 60 hours in support of operations.
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