300 airlifted out of villages in Alaska after typhoon, floods

Rescue efforts have airlifted at least 300 people from parts of Alaska after the remnants of Typhoon Halgong sent storm surge of over 6 feet into the state's coast. The Alaska National Guard called it the largest airlift in the state's recent history. Typhoon Halong brought extreme winds -- some over 100 mph -- that overturned homes. Storm surge flooded villages. Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were hardest hit. Storm surge reached 6.6 feet in Kipnuk, almost two feet higher than the previous record. Overnight the Guard evacuated 300 people from a regional shelter that was at capacity in Bethel to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, about 400 miles away. The remaining residents of the two villages will be evacuated from Bethel to Anchorage by Friday, said Lt. Col. Brendan Holbrook, commander of the Alaska Army National Guard's 207th Aviation Troop Command, The Washington Post reported. A woman, 67, was found dead, and two men, 71 and 41, were missing, the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said Wednesday. The mission has shifted from rescue to recovery for thWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times