Flooding, but no damage reported for Yukon Delta coastal communities after powerful fall storm

Communities are tallying up damage from a severe Bering Sea storm that brought flood warnings to a vast swath of Alaska's western coast.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

Waters rose into low-lying areas across Kotlik, Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, and Nunam Iqua on Oct. 8 but largely receded by the morning of Oct. 9 with no significant damage reported in these communities. The post also notes a second, stronger system forecast for the weekend: the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

Related posts in context:

• Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska (Oct 12, 2025) — Days after the event described here, Halong’s remnants caused widespread damage in Western Alaska, with homes swept off foundations and dozens of rescues reported.

• Following August flood, Kipnuk becomes second Alaska tribe to ever receive federal disaster declaration — Documents severe August 2024 flooding in Kipnuk from heavy rains, high winds, and tidal forces, leading to a federal disaster declaration; a disaster request was also pending for nearby Kwigillingok.

• Coastal Yukon River faces flood advisory as lower Kuskokwim catalogs flood impacts (Aug 20, 2024) — Two consecutive storms produced extensive damage across the region, including homes knocked off foundations in Newtok and Kipnuk, damaged boardwalks in Tuntutuliak, and erosion threatening the school in Napakiak; the post compares impacts to Typhoon Merbok and breakup floods earlier in 2024.

• Powerful storm slams Western Alaska — During the remnants of Typhoon Merbok, major coastal flooding was reported in multiple communities, including Hooper Bay.

• Winter Storm Batters Western Alaska Coast, Taking Out Power And Sea Ice (Nov 2019) — Kotlik lost cellphone service and airport lights during a winter storm; Hooper Bay saw some flooding but little damage. The post notes that warming temperatures and loss of sea ice can leave coasts more exposed to storm impacts.

• Storm Damage (Nov 2013) — Three storms brought flooding and erosion to Unalakleet, damaging utilities; the observation links elevated impacts to the absence of sea ice.

• How Shaktoolik, Alaska is Addressing Flooding and Erosion (Oct 2020) — Describes local protection measures (storm-surge berms) that protected most infrastructure during a 2019 storm and ongoing evaluation of long-term options.

Taken together, recent posts show how outcomes can differ widely from storm to storm in the Yukon–Kuskokwim region: from brief inundation with limited damage (this post) to severe impacts and evacuations during the subsequent Halong event (Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska). Several posts also note that reduced sea ice has been associated with higher storm impacts on the coast (Winter Storm Batters Western Alaska Coast, Taking Out Power And Sea Ice; Storm Damage).