JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local woman was headed to Alaska Thursday morning to help the American Red Cross provide relief to families impacted by Typhoon Halong.
The storm brought record water levels to two low-lying communities and washed away homes — some with people inside. At least one person was killed and two are missing. Makeshift shelters were quickly established and swelled to about 1,500 people, an extraordinary number in a sparsely populated region where communities are reachable by air or water.
The Associated Press said this is considered one of the most significant airlifts in Alaska’s history.
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Aurora Sanks, who lives in St. Augustine, told News4JAX she has been volunteering with the Red Cross for 30 years.
“Once I get there, I will check in to the headquarters there, and I will start under staff services, logistics stuff, getting people such as myself from wherever they’re coming from to Alaska, helping them get checked in, whatever admin stuff needs to be done. But I also wear a lot of hats,” Sanks said.
Sanks said she expects to be in Alaska for about three weeks.
The communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok near the Bering Sea saw water levels more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) above the highest normal tide line. Leaders asked the state to evacuate the more than 1,000 residents in those villages, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson with the state emergency management office.
Mark Roberts, the incident commander with the state emergency management agency, said the immediate focus was on “making sure people are safe, warm and cared for while we work with our partners to restore essential services.”