After Halong: The ones who stayed

By: Katie Baldwin Basile, Northern Journal

Outlets: Alaska Beacon

Published: June 10, 2026

Words: 1,718

Last Updated: 1 day, 8 hours ago

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When ex-Typhoon Halong flooded the Western Alaska village of Kipnuk last fall, a mass evacuation followed.

Homes were displaced, with some 90% of the village’s structures destroyed, according to Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Most people made the difficult decision to leave the village.

In the end, 19 people stayed behind, determined to see Kipnuk rebuilt — a tiny fraction of the nearly 1,000 people that tribal leaders say lived in the village before the flooding.

Kipnuk …

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