Hundreds airlifted from storm-battered Western Alaska villages in historic evacuation


Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Western Alaska village of Kipnuk on Wednesday after residents were told to pack a single bag and leave the community, one of the hardest hit by a catastrophic storm that deluged swaths of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region over the weekend.

A similar mass evacuation in Kwigillingok, a Yup’ik village of about 400 residents, was confirmed Wednesday night in a statement by officials with the state’s Emergency Operations Center.

In what officials called “one of the most significant airlift efforts in recent Alaska disaster response history,” the Alaska National Guard and other agencies used helicopters and even a huge C-17 Globemaster III military transport plane to move more than 300 people from their villages to shelters in Bethel and in Anchorage, hundreds of miles away, where a majority of the evacuees will be sent.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/alaska-airlifting-hundreds-from-storm-devastated-coastal-villages/?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3A%7B%7Bcampaignname%7D%7D%3Atwitterpost%E2%80%8B&taid=68f0d29422d6e100017109d5

Uh-oh! It looks like you're using an ad blocker.

Our website relies on ads and the generous support of readers like you to keep delivering free, high-quality content. Right now, we are facing serious funding challenges and we need your help more than ever. Disable your ad blocker and this message will vanish. You can also sign up for a membership to enjoy an ad-free experience while supporting our work: https://citizenwatchreport.com/plans/subscriptions/ Your support helps us stay independent, continue our work, and keep content free for everyone. We truly appreciate your understanding and thank you for standing with us.