At least three people remain missing in Alaska due to the effects of Typhoon Halong, while conditions on the East Coast caused delays at several major airports.
Over 30 people were rescued and at least three remained unaccounted for Sunday after the remnants of a typhoon battered Alaska, while a powerful Nor’easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the East Coast.
The Alaska Office of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that at least eight homes were pushed off their foundations.
Officials had said over 20 people were unaccounted for in the village of Kwigillingok because of flooding and high winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. That number dropped to three by later in the evening.
Search and rescue crews rescued at least 18 people in Kwigillingok on Sunday and at least 16 people in the community of Kipnuk, in the state’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
Alaska State Troopers were part of a multiagency search-and-rescue operation in Kwigillingok and Kipnuk, both of which have no roadways and are isolated from larger cities, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.
“The Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard have launched rescue aircraft to Kipnuk and Kwigillingok to locate and rescue missing or displaced people,” the Public Safety Department said in a news release Sunday evening.
A disaster declaration was expanded Sunday to include the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement, noting that Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were “hard hit.”
“Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm,” he said. “Help is on the way.”
Meanwhile, a powerful storm that has brought strong wind and heavy rain to the East Coast this weekend continued to keep its residents on high alert.
Heavy rain pounded an area from the Carolinas to Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, bringing reports of coastal flooding and hundreds of flight delays.
The Nor’easter — which already affected a large chunk of the East Coast, including Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey — extended into the New York area Sunday and expanded into Boston and southern New England by the afternoon.
Wind gusts peaked at around 56 mph across the mid-Atlantic coast, with rainfall totals ranging from 1 to 5 inches. Georgetown, South Carolina, recorded the highest report, with over 10 inches of rain reported since the start of the weekend.
Video circulating on social media showed water rising Sunday in near coastal homes in Rodanthe, North Carolina, in the Outer Banks.
In Columbus County, North Carolina, first responders conducted “about 10 or 12 rescues” Sunday evening as rain battered the area.
Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers warned about cars left in the roadways due to floods.
“If you’ll commute in the morning, please be safe and please go home and stay off the road. And be careful in the morning, because the water is rising,” Rogers said in a video posted to Facebook.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency that took effect Saturday night in anticipation of the storm’s inclement conditions, including major coastal flooding, strong wind and 1 to 3 inches of rain.
Coastal flooding was reported across parts of New Jersey and Delaware during high tide earlier Sunday afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island in New York City from Sunday to Monday. Water levels are expected to rise anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 feet above ground level, causing beach erosion and “widespread moderate flooding of vulnerable shore roads and/or properties,” the service said.
“Avoid driving through or coming in contact with flood waters,” the weather service warned New York residents. “Six inches of fast flowing water can knock you off your feet, and as little as one foot of rushing water can carry away a car. There could be pollutants in the water or other hazards that you cannot see.”
Widespread to moderate coastal flooding was also expected on the south shore bays of Long Island’s Nassau County and southwestern Suffolk County at times of high tide from Sunday to Monday, according to the National Weather Service’s New York field office.
Winds of about 50 to 60 mph are possible along the New Jersey and Delaware coasts, which could lead to power outages, according to the weather service’s field office in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Damaging winds across eastern parts of Long Island, New York, are also expected Sunday evening.
Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected through Monday, with around 5 to 8 inches of rain possible in some areas, before the storm gets pushed farther offshore Tuesday.
Delays of more than an hour were being felt Sunday night at Boston Logan International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport had delays of 26 minutes, while a full ground stop was in effect earlier on Sundayat John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Over 80 flights traveling into and out of Logan had been canceled and over 400 had been delayed as of Sunday evening, according to FlightAware.com. Over 40 flights traveling into and out of LaGuardia Airport in New York were canceled, and over 500 were delayed.
Across the Northeast, thousands of utility customers were experiencing power outages early Monday, including more than 4,000 in New Jersey, over 4,000 in New York, over 5,000 in Massachusetts and over 10,000 in North Carolina.
Alaska hit by severe flooding that carries away homes
The remnants of Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds and catastrophic flooding to coastal communities in western Alaska on Sunday, pushing entire houses off their foundations.
Rescue aircraft were dispatched to the tiny Alaskan villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, where there were reports of up to 20 people possibly unaccounted for, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“We have received reports that people’s homes have floated away and that people were potentially in those homes,” Zidek told The Associated Press.
Alaska State Troopers said both Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were hit by “strong winds and heavy flooding overnight, which caused significant damage, including at least eight homes being pushed from their foundations.”
In Kwigillingok, at least 18 people were rescued, while at least 16 people were rescued in Kipnuk, Alaska State Troopers said Sunday night local time. Three people were still unaccounted for in Kwigillingok as of 6:50 p.m. local time. Troopers had also received reports of people still unaccounted for in Kipnuk, but could not confirm the exact number.
More than a dozen agencies are involved in the disaster response, CBS affiliate KXDF-TV reported, including the Alaska National Guard.
“The Alaska Organized Militia, which includes the Alaska National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force, and Alaska Naval Militia, has been requested to activate up to 60 members to assist with storm response operations across affected western Alaska communities,” the National Guard wrote Saturday.
Alaska governor: “Help is on the way”
More than 170 people stayed overnight at a community shelter in Kipnuk, where the water rose overnight 6.6 feet above the highest tide. At least eight homes were swept away, Zidek said.
Roads and boardwalks were inundated and power lines were damaged in Bethel, Napaskiak, Napakiak, and other Yukon-Kuskokwim communities. Crews worked to clear the airport runway in Bethel, which was littered with debris from high winds. The area is among one of the most isolated in the U.S., where some communities have few roads and residents use boardwalks, boats and snowmobiles to get around, Zidek said.
“Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm. Help is on the way,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement.
Dunleavy also said he has expanded the state’s disaster declaration to include areas impacted by the storm. He initially issued the disaster declaration Thursday in western Alaska following another powerful storm.
Alaska hit by severe flooding that carries away homes
The remnants of Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds and catastrophic flooding to coastal communities in western Alaska on Sunday, pushing entire houses off their foundations.
Rescue aircraft were dispatched to the tiny Alaskan villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, where there were reports of up to 20 people possibly unaccounted for, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“We have received reports that people’s homes have floated away and that people were potentially in those homes,” Zidek told The Associated Press.
Alaska governor: “Help is on the way”
More than 170 people stayed overnight at a community shelter in Kipnuk, where the water rose overnight 6.6 feet above the highest tide. At least eight homes were swept away, Zidek said.
Roads and boardwalks were inundated and power lines were damaged in Bethel, Napaskiak, Napakiak, and other Yukon-Kuskokwim communities. Crews worked to clear the airport runway in Bethel, which was littered with debris from high winds. The area is among one of the most isolated in the U.S., where some communities have few roads and residents use boardwalks, boats and snowmobiles to get around, Zidek said.
“Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm. Help is on the way,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement.
Dunleavy also said he has expanded the state’s disaster declaration to include areas impacted by the storm. He initially issued the disaster declaration Thursday in western Alaska following another powerful storm.
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