By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Residents of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok began evacuating en masse on Wednesday, flying in military aircraft from their western Alaska communities which were devastated by ex-Typhoon Halong.

On Wednesday evening, the first 300 evacuees embarked on a C-17 military transport plane from Bethel to make the one-hour journey to Anchorage and emergency shelter there.

“Just devastated, feeling heartbroken, displaced,” said Jody Agimuk of Kipnuk, standing with his wife Kristin, and their five young children, waiting in line to board in the Alaska Army National Guard hangar.

“I hope we find a place,” he said of arriving in Anchorage. “It’s hard to explain, I hope we won’t have a hard time finding a place.”

He said since the storm hit Sunday, they sheltered at their grandmother’s and one night at the local school, and evacuated on Wednesday. “It’s just hard — leaving families at home, separating with families that we were close to. People we’ve seen, people we knew, people we used to talk to, all the close relatives, it’s heartbreaking seeing people separating.” 

The rest of the village of Kipnuk is scheduled to be evacuated on Thursday, and Kwigillingok by Friday, said Lieutenant Colonel Brendan Holbrook, commander of the 207th Aviation Troop Command with the Alaska Army National Guard. 

He said roughly 500 people had been evacuated to Bethel so far out of those two villages by members of the Alaska Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard. The C-17 plane can only transport 300 people, so the rest would shelter in Bethel overnight and more flights would be available out to Anchorage on Thursday morning. 

“I have five aircraft, four UH-60s and CH-47 in support operations, doing evac. And we’ve been running basically 12 to 14-hour operations every day getting these people to safety,” he said.

In the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel, evacuees waited, some resting on cots, as officers read lists of names and groups of 30 people at a time boarded the plane. 

Holbrook said evacuation was self-organized by community members, with families with children and elders prioritized. 

“So it was primarily Kipnuk today, if the call comes back, we can do Kwig (Kwigillingok) tomorrow,” he said “But prioritization was just who was available and ready to go. So we would go to both and whoever got on got on. Kipnuk just happened to be, they had already established a marshaling plan, so as soon as we landed, they were ready with people to just start loading.”

Those who did not get on the Wednesday evening flight were sheltering in Bethel, some in an emergency shelter across the road from the Readiness Center hanger, administered by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation with the support from the American Red Cross. Cots, showers and meals were provided there.

Holbrook added that there is a misconception that evacuees must go to Anchorage. He said once in Bethel, regional tribal organizations like the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation are providing support for people to travel wherever they like. “If you have a place to go, another village, family, somewhere else, Y-K will help you get to where you need to go,” he said. 

Evacuees board from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok board a C17 military transport plane in Bethel on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Members of the Alaska Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard are assisting with the evacuation of residents, seen in Bethel on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Members of the Members of the Alaska Army National Guard read a list of names of evacuees to board the first flight from Bethel to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Jody and Kristin Agimuk and their five young children evacuated from the community of Kipnuk after ex-Typhoon Halong. They landed in Bethel on Wednesday and were on the first large evacuation flight to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Cots set up at the shelter at the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel for evacuees of ex-Typhoon Halong provided by the American Red Cross on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Evacuees from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok rest and eat dinner on Oct. 15, 2025 at an emergency shelter at the Alaska National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Evacuees wait in line to board the first evacuation flight from Bethel to Anchorage at the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel, on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

A family is seen stepping out on to the runway in Bethel to board the first evacuation flight to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Evacuees from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were allowed to bring one bag of personal items to evacuate after ex-Typhoon Halong, seen stacked in the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel, awaiting transport to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Evacuees wait for their name to be called by members of the Alaska National Guard, for a flight from Bethel to Anchorage on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

A Blackhawk helicopter used to evacuate residents from storm devastated communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok fuels up in Bethel on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Bethel hosted an evacuation shelter for ex-Typhoon Halong storm evacuees on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Residents who evacuated from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok wait to board an evacuation flight in Bethel on Oct. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)