Photos and video show homes in Alaska ripped from their foundations as a massive storm surge — declared a disaster by the Governor — causes extreme coastal flooding
Kelsey Vlamis,Taiyler Simone Mitchell
The residual impact of Typhoon Merbok has flooded the Western part of Alaska.
Residents have evacuated as some of their homes are being torn apart.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy ruled the flooding a disaster emergency.
The western coast of Alaska was hit with historic storms on Saturday, causing extreme flooding that led to several homes being ripped from their foundations.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska declared the crisis a disaster emergency at a Saturday press conference where he also confirmed that had been zero reported injuries.
"Just now, I verbally declared a disaster for communities impacted by the West Coast storm. SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) has received no reports of injuries at this time. We will continue to monitor the storm and update Alaskans as much as possible," the Republican governor said.
The residual impact of Typhoon Merbok has hit regions such as Hooper Bay, Nome, Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Kotlik, and Nunam Iqua, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The department also reported that the Old Golovin Airport is underwater.
In some areas, the flooding is suspected to have peaked on Saturday afternoon and will begin to decrease through Sunday, according to the weather service.
Hundreds of people on the coast had evacuated their homes to safer grounds — including schools — on Saturday morning when the storm started raging.
Several homes have been reported to be floating in the flood waters, including three in Golovin, per The New York Times.
NYT reported forecasters believe the storm to be the one of "most powerful systems to move through the Bering Sea area in decades," as winds nearing the strength of hurricanes ran rampant through the region.
"There's a strong argument to be made that climate change tipped the scales to favor this storm," Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist based in Anchorage, told the Times.
Former Typhoon Merbok blasts western Alaska with historic storm surge, 90 mph wind and 50-foot seas
GOLOVIN, Alaska – A historic storm blasted western Alaska Friday and Saturday with hurricane-force winds, over 50-foot seas and coastal flooding not seen in decades.
What used to be Typhoon Merbok morphed into a powerful northern Pacific storm as it raced nearly due north and pushed through the Aleutian Islands Friday and into the Bering Sea Saturday, bringing a dangerous storm surge inundating coastal villages and towns under several feet of water for hours.
Water levels in Unalakleet peaked at around 12.5 feet Saturday morning, reaching one of the largest peaks on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Major flooding was reported in Golovin where a one-two punch of rain and wind raked the coastal town.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy declared western parts of the state a disaster area on Saturday. The governor said despite the record-breaking impacts the emergency operation center had not received any reports of injuries.
Water is surrounding the school while homes and other structures were flooded. "A couple homes were floating off the foundation," the National Weather Service in Fairbanks wrote, "and some fuel tanks are tilted over."
Significant flooding was reported in Nome, Skaktoolik, Kotlik and Unalakleet. The Alaska Department of Transportation said significant debris was also seen the hitting Snake River Bridge in Nome.
"We are standing by to see if anyone needs assistance, but so far the Coast Guard has received no requests for rescues," a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said.
The Bering Sea was pushing over berms along Shaktoolik and water was entering the coastal community, getting close to flooding homes. Residents have evacuated to the town's school and clinic.
In Nome, the storm surge reached just over 10 feet – 7 feet above the high tide line - late Saturday with waters reaching several feet over the high tide level in Red Dog.
The storm surge was pushed by powerful winds circulating the deep storm center, which had reached as low as 937 millibars on its approach to the Aleutian Islands.
Cape Romanzof measured a gust of 96 mph while gusts reached 74 mph on St. Paul Island, and 62 mph in Adak and Golovin.
Offshore, the storm triggered monster seas in excess of 50 feet. A buoy 310 miles north of Adak reported wave heights of nearly 52 feet late Friday morning amid 74 mph wind gusts.
"Even though it is not officially a typhoon – which is what we could call a hurricane in the (U.S.) – it still has all of that powerful energy," said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin. "With strong winds, you’re pushing in a lot of water, and that means the sea levels (are) going to rise and coastal flooding is a concern as well as storm surge."
ALASKA EXPERIENCES AN EARTHQUAKE EVERY 10 MINUTES, SCIENTISTS SAY
What's worse, as the storm slows on its exit toward the Arctic, high water levels will continue for 10 to 14 hours, allowing wind-driven waves on top of the surge to push far inland and produce additional damage.
"Impacts may exceed the 2011 Bering Sea Superstorm, and some locations may experience their worst coastal flooding in nearly 50 years," National Weather Service forecasters in Fairbanks wrote early Friday morning.
"The storm is massive," Merwin said. "It’s still holding on to all those characteristics from when it was a typhoon, but now it’s a cold-core system – a non-tropical storm – that’s going to blast Alaska with some very strong winds."
Intense storm systems are common for Alaska, but seeing an extra-tropical cyclone with a pressure of less than 940 millibars is not frequent. The storm's central pressure dropped to 937 mb which was the deepest low for September in at least the last 17 years measured in the region.
"It’s definitely going to be a significant event. It’s shaping up to be one of the worst events that we’ve seen for years," the National Weather Service office in Fairbanks, Alaska, said.
Damage assessments are expected to begin as soon as waters recede.
Communities such as Adak, Unalaska, St. Paul, St. Johns and Bethel will all be near the center of the storm, where winds and rains will be the heaviest.
"For most of those Alaskan communities, when a storm is bearing down, they don’t have the capability for evacuations. So, what they normally do is they’ll go to a community shelter, which is the safe option," said Jeremy Zidek, public information officer at Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "Supply chain issues, transportation issues and weather issues are kind of a regular occurrence, so people have to be pretty resilient to even live in those areas."
Several alerts that include a Coastal Flood Watch, Storm Warning and Gale Warning have been issued by the NWS ahead of the arrival of the worst of the weather.
FAA ADDING WEATHER STATIONS ACROSS ALASKA TO INCREASE AVIATION SAFETY
Meteorologists and first responders are most concerned about the maritime community, which produces most of the nation’s seafood.
Pacific salmon, crab, Pacific cod, shrimp, herring, sablefish pollock, and Pacific halibut are all harvested from Alaska and lead to more than $5 billion in economic activity in Alaska every year.
Typhoon Merbok is one of several significant storm systems from the West Pacific that are expected to get caught up in the jet stream and impact U.S. weather.
Abnormally warm water in the North Pacific is one of the ingredients helping to enhance the lifecycle and strength of the northern cyclones but not enough to help them sustain their tropical cyclone identity into the northern latitudes.
Similar to the Atlantic basin, the Northwest Pacific typhoon season is running behind normal, only seeing about half the storms that they are used to seeing by mid-September.
During recent weeks, the West Pacific has seen an uptick in activity with typhoons Muifa, Hinnamnor and Merbok.
Most, if not all, will lead to impacts in Alaska with rain, wind and high seas, meaning that the 49th state might be in store for a rainy time period.
Experts with the NWS’ Climate Prediction Center expect several weeks of above-average rainfall in the state.
This image provided by the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a satellite view over Alaska, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.
Christine Fernando and Claire Thornton
Sat, September 17, 2022
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has declared a state of disaster Saturday as a powerful storm threatens huge swaths of the state's western coastline.
Towns are facing strong winds and flooding, and bracing for possible power outages caused by a storm forecasters are calling one of the worst in the state's recent history.
The storm systems continued to "produce a potentially historic and long-duration storm surge, and damaging high winds across southwestern and western Alaska," the National Weather Service said Saturday.
The remnants of Typhoon Merbok are expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall to the region until Sunday morning. On Saturday morning, a "very angry sea" brought storm surge into the community of Port of Nome, the Weather Service station in Fairbanks, Alaska tweeted. Wind gusts could reach hurricane strength in some areas, Weather Service forecasts say.
Significant coastal flooding is expected until Sunday morning, with the highest water levels Saturday afternoon, the Weather Service said.
Related video: Heavy rain, strong winds from Kay send small pane off runway
On Saturday, photos showed roads in Golovin, Alaska, were covered with floodwater and the tide reached homes, causing a couple of homes to float off their foundations, the Weather Service station in Fairbanks, Alaska said. Golovin, Alaska is a small town about 70 miles east of Nome.
Other photos shows flooded vehicles and a building stuck under a bridge after being swept off its foundation.
'HISTORIC-LEVEL STORM': Alaska braces for floods, power outages
Likely wind gusts of 50 to 75 mph may also topple trees, damage roofs and buildings, and lead to substantial power outages, according to AccuWeather. The storm will also create "life-threatening conditions" for fishing operations, AccuWeather said, warning small boats to remain in port.
There were no injuries reported as of Saturday afternoon, Dunleavy said on Twitter.
'One of the strongest storms to ever hit the state,' forecasters say
The storm's impacts may exceed the 2011 Bering Sea Superstorm, one of the most powerful cyclones to affect Alaska on record, the National Weather Service in Fairbanks said, adding that some parts of the state may experience their worst coastal flooding in almost 50 years.
AccuWeather called it "one of the strongest storms to ever hit the state of Alaska."
The storm is expected to calm later in the weekend as it drifts across the Arctic Circle, AccuWeather said, adding that most of the storm's impacts will be concentrated in western and northern Alaska.
Other parts of the state, including Fairbanks and Anchorage, may see some rain Sunday night to Monday, AccuWeather forecast.
TROPICAL STORM FIONA FORMS: Storm headed toward Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Fiona to hit Puerto Rico
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to dump up to 16 inches of rain on parts of Puerto Rico on Saturday, threatening severe flooding, landslides and power outages.
The storm is expected to become a hurricane as it nears Puerto Rico, just after battering the eastern Caribbean islands. One death was reported Saturday in Guadeloupe, a French territory in the southern Caribbean Sea.
Puerto Rican authorities have opened shelters and shuttered public beaches, theaters and museums, urging people to remain indoors.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska braces for powerful storm as Typhoon Merbok remnants approach
Alaska towns flooded, residents evacuated
as massive storm batters state
A massive, potentially record-breaking storm brought major flooding and damage to coastal towns in Alaska Saturday, and some residents were evacuated. Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he "verbally declared" a disaster for communities impacted by the storm.
The center of the storm was making its way up the Bering Strait Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
On Alaska's western coast, the towns of Nome, Hooper Bay, Skaktoolik, Kotlik and Nunam Iqua were all hit hard by the storm, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF).
The governor said on Twitter that there had been no reported injuries as of Saturday morning. "We will continue to monitor the storm and update Alaskans as much as possible," he tweeted. A news briefing was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday night.
The state had also established an emergency operations center.
Rep. Mary Peltola also tweeted Saturday afternoon, asking that Alaskans "please be safe and seek shelter. It's imperative we all look out for each other and keep each other safe. We will get through this, but stay safe."
In the town of Golovin, major flooding was reported early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, and forecasters warned it would only get worse. The town could see an additional 1 to 2 feet of water by the day's end. The Old Golovin Airport was under water, according to ADOT&PF.
"Water is surrounding the school, homes and structures are flooded, at least a couple homes floating off the foundation, some older fuel tanks are tilted over," the weather service's office in Fairbanks tweeted.
Photos from the weather service showed the high water levels there.
Wales – the westernmost town in both Alaska and the U.S., located on the Bering Strait coast – was seeing flooding in "low lying areas," the weather service reported.
"Water levels will peak this afternoon with the high tide, then gradually fall through Sunday," the weather service tweeted.
Another town, Shaktoolik, reported coastal flooding, with water "entering the community and getting close to some homes," according to the weather service. Residents there were evacuated to a school and clinic. Shaktoolik was also expected to see the worst of the storm later in the day.
According to the weather service, the water level in Nome rose above 10 feet Saturday, and is expected to continue to rise.
The weather service also shared footage from a webcam in Unalakleet, comparing an average day in the town against the scene there Saturday morning.
As of Saturday afternoon, large swaths of the state's western coast were under coastal flooding and high wind warnings. The weather service said flood warnings would remain in effect for several areas through Sunday night, while the wind warnings were expected to expire by Saturday night.
The weather service said the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta would see a "smaller surge" during high tide in the afternoon and evening hours Saturday.
The "highest water levels are expected from Kipnuk north to Newtok," the NWS tweeted. A coastal flood warning was extended for that region through 10 p.m. Saturday.
Other portions of the state are under gale warnings, according to the weather service.
The weather service shared peak reported wind gusts as of 8 a.m. local time — the highest recorded was 91 mph in Cape Romanzof. Several other towns, including Golovin, saw winds topping 60 mph.
The storm is the remnants of Typhoon Merbok, and forecasters predicted this week it could bring "potentially historical" flooding, with some coastal areas seeing water levels up to 11 feet higher than the normal high tide
.Storm battering western Alaska causes widespread flooding
Sat, September 17, 2022
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A powerful storm sweeping north through the Bering Strait on Saturday caused widespread flooding in several western Alaska coastal communities, knocking out power and sending residents fleeing for higher ground.
The force of the water moved some homes off their foundations, and one house in Nome floated down a river until it got caught at a bridge.
The potent storm — what remains of Typhoon Merbok — has been influencing weather patterns as far away as California, where strong winds and a rare late-summer rainstorm were expected.
In Alaska, no injuries or deaths were immediately reported, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Officials had warned some places could see their worst flooding in 50 years and that the high waters could take up to 14 hours to recede.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration during the day.
The nearly 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) storm front has damaged roads and potentially other infrastructure, Dunleavy said at a Saturday evening news conference. Officials will evaluate any effects on water and sewer systems, seawalls, fuel storage areas, airports, and ports.
Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives were already in Alaska before the storm, and Dunleavy said they will stay to help assess damage.
“Our goal is to get the assessments done as soon as possible,” he said. “We’re going to move as quickly as we can to provide relief, provide recovery, provide the essentials that people need.”
Among the hardest hit communities was Golovin, a village of 170 or so residents who mostly sought shelter at a school or in three buildings on a hillside. Winds in the village gusted over 60 mph (95 kph) and the water rose 11 feet (3.3 meters) above the normal high tide line and was expected to rise another 2 feet (60 centimeters) Saturday before cresting.
“Most of the lower part of the community is all flooded with structures and buildings inundated,” said Ed Plumb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.
Clarabelle Lewis, the facility manager for the tribal government, the Chinik Eskimo Community, was among those who sought refuge on the hill overlooking Golovin. She and others were riding out the storm in the tribal office after securing items at their homes from the high winds and helping neighbors do the same.
“The winds were howling; it was noisy,” she said.
Most communities experienced wind gusts ranging from 41 mph (66 kph) to 67 mph (108 kph), but Cape Romanzof had peak winds of 91 mph (146 kph), the weather service said.
Lewis has never experienced a storm like this in 20 years living in Golovin.
“We’ve had flooding in the past a few times, but it was never this severe,” she said. “We’ve never had homes moved from their foundations.”
There were also reports of flooding in Hooper Bay, St. Michael’s, Unalakleet and Shaktoolik, where waves crashed over the berm in front of the community, Plumb said.
In Hooper Bay, more than 250 people took shelter inside the school, Bethel public radio station KYUK reported. The village is one of the largest along the coast with nearly 1,400 residents.
The school’s vice principal, Brittany Taraba, said three homes were knocked off their foundations and large parts of the village were flooded.
Residents are supporting each other, including donating recently caught and processed moose to feed those sheltering at the school.
“It’s really amazing to watch this community,” Taraba told KYUK.
Plumb said the storm would track through the Bering Strait on Saturday and then head into the Chukchi Sea.
“And then it’s going to kind of park and weaken just west of Point Hope,” he said of the community on Alaska’s northwest coast.
He said there would be high water in the vicinity of the northern Bering Sea through Saturday night before levels start to subside through Sunday. Rising water levels farther north, in the Chukchi Sea and Kotzebue Sound areas, were expected into Sunday.
In Northern California, wind gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph) were forecast overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning along coastal areas from Sonoma County down to Santa Cruz and at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada, the weather service said.
Winds that strong can blow down branches and drought-stressed trees and cause power outages, said weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun.
Storms were expected to start Sunday morning and dump up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain in coastal areas of Sonoma County and a bit less as rains move southward to the San Francisco area and into the Santa Cruz mountains, Walbrun said.
“It’s a pretty significant rain for this early in the season,” he said, adding that the storms are forecast to continue on and off through at least Monday, making commutes to work wet with slick roads.
In the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of the state capital of Sacramento, fire crews have been fighting what has become the largest wildfire in that state so far this year. While rain is needed, the winds were a concern for crews battling the Mosquito Fire, which was 21% contained as of Saturday morning.
“The winds will definitely cause erratic fire behavior” that could ignite new hot spots despite the welcome moisture, said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. “The rain is not going to put out the fire but it will help.”
___
Gecker reported from San Francisco
Alaska Coastal Flooding
Water surrounds the mini convention center, which is also home to the finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in Nome, Alaska, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Much of Alaska's western coast could see flooding and high winds as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok moved into the Bering Sea region. The National Weather Service says some locations could experience the worst coastal flooding in 50 years. (AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom)More
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