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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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What we know about recovery, a month after ex-Typhoon Halong
With resources spread out over thousands of miles and dozens of communities, KYUK has tried to summarize what we know and don't know about the impact of the storm.
Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Drenched insulation, muddy floors and broken heaters: Western Alaska villages race to clean up after the storm
Communities such as Tuntutuliak and Napakiak are working to get homes and infrastructure ready for winter after the destruction caused by ex-Typhoon Halong.
Tuntutuliak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

In the aftermath of Typhoon Halong, faces reveal themselves on a beach in Southwest Alaska
Typhoon Halong’s storm surge eroded the Nunalleq archaeological site near Quinhagak, exposing and scattering centuries-old Yup’ik artifacts along the Bering Sea coast. Local residents and archaeologists rushed to recover figurines, mask pieces, and other items as permafrost thaw and coastal erosion accelerate losses.
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

An ‘orchestra from Hell’: A firsthand account of the Halong flood
A displaced survivor from Kwigillingok tells his story.
Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States
Northern Journal

Flood evacuees get ready to spend the winter in Anchorage
The American Red Cross of Alaska is preparing to support up to 2,000 flood evacuees through the winter in Anchorage, operating shelters as residents from hard-hit Western Alaska villages continue arriving. Evacuees describe gratitude for aid and concerns about adapting to big-city life.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska's News Source

Ex-typhoon Halong peeled back as much as 60 feet from Quinhagak's shoreline
Remnants of Typhoon Halong caused severe coastal erosion in Quinhagak, Alaska, stripping up to 60 feet of shoreline, flooding parts of town, and pushing boats into riverside trees. The storm imperiled the community’s sewage lagoon and scattered priceless artifacts from the Nunalleq archaeological site along the beach.
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Officials say storm 'completely devastated' Western Alaska communities
Remnants of Typhoon Halong drove record storm surge and hurricane-force winds into Western Alaska, devastating Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages like Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. Officials report dozens of homes destroyed, mass rescues, widespread outages, and at least one death, with many residents sheltering and recovery efforts underway.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Governor declares disaster in western Alaska, second storm incoming
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster for western Alaska after an Oct. 8 storm brought flooding and storm surge that damaged homes and infrastructure, prompting a temporary evacuation in Kotzebue. Officials warn another, potentially stronger storm tied to the remnants of Typhoon Halong could bring 70–80 mph winds and further coastal impacts.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Region weathers storm with some flooding, prepares for upcoming storm on the weekend
A powerful coastal storm brought flooding and damaging winds to western Alaska on Oct. 8, with severe flooding and evacuations in Kotzebue and high water reported across the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region. Communities are now preparing for a larger storm expected over the weekend, with state emergency operations activated.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget
Diana Haecker and Ariana Crockett O’Harra

Kodiak-area communities' workshop troubleshoots coastal erosion
A recent workshop in Kodiak connected some rural communities to resources that could help them adapt to erosion and other issues.
Akhiok, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

City council extends Spit emergency declaration
The Homer City Council has extended the local emergency declaration for Homer Spit, originally issued after significant storm surge damage, and is seeking further state and federal disaster assistance.
Homer, Alaska, United States
Homer News

After flood, Kotzebue residents take stock of damaged homes and property, and take care of one another
At least 30 houses still needed repairs, cleanup was ongoing, and the city’s residents grappled with the need to fix snowmachines, keep their soaked houses warm and prepare for future emergencies.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Power supply was restored in the village of Rytkuchi, flooded by the storm
Power was restored in Rytkuchi, Chukotka after a storm caused village-wide flooding.
Рыткучи, Чаунский район, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia

New research uses 130 years of historic flood observations to help identify future risks
This research compiles over a century of local flood data in Alaska to improve future flood risk prediction and planning, addressing the lack of accessible historic flood information for community and regional use.
Western and Northern, Alaska, United States

Tsunami program that informs Alaskans of the danger is itself at risk
It funds maps, sirens and education. "Losing this program, really, at the end of the day could mean deaths in Alaska," says a state official.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Hooper Bay's dunes, home to the community’s cultural history, are slipping into the sea
The sand dunes in Hooper Bay, Alaska, which serve as a protective barrier against storms and preserve the community's cultural history, are rapidly eroding and may lead to the relocation of the village. The dunes were once home to sod houses and artifacts dating back to 1600 A.D. The loss of the dunes threatens not only subsistence food resources but also the community's connection to its past. As the dunes continue to erode, there are concerns about the potential relocation of the community and the preservation of their stories and artifacts.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Hooper Bay families displaced by Merbok could lose housing this month
Families in Hooper Bay, Alaska, who were displaced by Typhoon Merbok last year and currently live in low-income housing, may lose their housing by the end of the month due to the expiration of their temporary emergency placement.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

A year after Typhoon Merbok, some coastal Alaskans struggle to find subsistence foods
Coastal Alaskans in Hooper Bay and Chevak are struggling to find subsistence foods, such as berries and underground caches of roots called “mouse food”, due to the impact of Typhoon Merbok's storm surge and a cold, rainy summer.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Y-K Delta women describe the realities of living with climate change for foreign dignitaries
The relocation between from Newtok to Mertavik has taken time and community members stay patient as local, state, and federal agencies figure out the complex funding and logistical hurdles.
Newtok, Alaska, United States

Atmospheric rivers are hitting the Arctic more often, and increasingly melting its sea ice
Atmospheric rivers, those long, powerful streams of moisture in the sky, are becoming more frequent in the Arctic, and they’re helping to drive dramatic shrinking of the Arctic’s sea ice cover.
Arctic
ArcticToday

In northernmost Alaska, a battle is on to limit the damages of permafrost thaw
Warming soils beneath Utqiagvik are triggering erosion that threatens homes, infrastructure and cultural resources. The North Slope has seen some of the fastest changes in coastal erosion in the nation.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
KTOO

As support streams in, one village still accounting for what was lost in Western Alaska storm
Golovin was hurt worse than other places in the Norton Sound region by the remnants of typhoon Merbok as it swirled up through Bering Sea last weekend. Repairing the damage is going to take time — and the clock is ticking on winter’s arrival.
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Typhoon Merbok pounded Alaska’s vulnerable coastal communities at a critical time
The powerful remnants of Typhoon Merbok pounded Alaska’s western coast on Sept. 17, 2022, pushing homes off their foundations and tearing apart protective berms as water flooded communities. Storms aren’t unusual here, but Merbok built up over unusually warm water. Its waves reached 50 feet over the Bering Sea, and its storm surge sent water levels into communities at near record highs along with near hurricane-force winds.
Bering Sea
ArcticToday

Western Alaska braces for strong storm and possible floods
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Indigenous peoples facing evacuation in Alaska and Louisiana say the United States is ignoring climate threats
Approximately 31 Alaska Native communities face imminent climate change due to floods and erosion. This can lead to the disappearance of culture and lifestyle changes. The four tribes are in the process of relocating from a rapidly disappearing village.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Autobala

Their Islands Are Being Eroded. So Are Their Human Rights, They Say.
Indigenous Australians from low-lying islands in the Torres Strait argue that the government, by failing to act on climate change, has violated their fundamental right to maintain their culture.
Masig Island, Torres Strait, Australia
New York Times

This map worries Norwegian rescue workers
Warmer seas have led the fishery to move 300 kilometers further northeast - towards the North Pole. At the same time, cruising traffic in the outlying sea areas is increasing.
Bjørnøya, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
NRK - Norsk Rikskringkasting

Expect more extreme hurricanes on the East Coast due to faster ice melts in Greenland, study says
A new study suggests Greenland ice has hit a new tipping point with unprecedented melting since the early 2000s — and this will have consequences for East Coast cities.
East Coast of Canada
CBC

Climate change drives Solomon Islands' people of the sea ashore
The inhabitants of Lau Lagoon in Solomon Islands have lived in harmony with nature for generations. Now their entire way of life is vanishing beneath the waves.
Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
DW.COM

400 plus Alaskans received financial assistance from FEMA, application deadline is Nov. 22
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has disbursed $3.3 million to help Western Alaskans rebuild after ex-typhoon Merbok struck the coast a month ago.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

‘No home to go to’: Hundreds of evacuees need shelter as catastrophic Western Alaska storm empties inundated villages
Troopers said that they have suspended the active search for two men missing from Kwigillingok, one of the hardest-hit communities. The men are related to the storm’s lone confirmed fatality, a 67-year-old woman found Monday.
Kipnuk, Alaska, United States

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