A regional body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is working to provide relief to Alaskans recently impacted by a severe storm that “completely devastated” the state’s west coast and displaced hundreds of people.
The Presbytery of Yukon has been overseeing a response to the remnants of Typhoon Halong impacting the remote villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta on Alaska’s western coast, working with the PC(USA) ‘s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Red Cross and officials in Anchorage.
Amid rising water levels, two of the hardest hit villages, Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, were evacuated, reportedly representing one of the largest airlifts in the state’s history. Approximately 2,000 people were displaced, while the storm greatly damaged dozens of communities. The storm has also resulted in at least one death.
The Rev. Elizabeth Schultz, executive presbyter for the Yukon Presbytery, told The Christian Post that the regional body is “collaborating with local trusted nonprofits that are organizing the response effort.”
Although the mainline denomination does not have a notable presence in the impacted villages, at least one member congregation is collecting supplies, including baby wipes, diapers and formula.
The Yukon Presbytery is looking to “see how faith communities can help in the long-term recovery, after many of the national volunteers have left,” Schultz said.
“It is still a bit chaotic up here, with many moving pieces as families are moved from congregate shelter spaces into homes, apartments and hotels,” she added.
In addition to on-the-ground work, PC(USA) set up a webpage for people to donate to disaster relief specifically for the impacted areas of Alaska.
The Rev. Kathy Lee-Cornell, PDA associate for National Disaster Response, told PC(USA) News that collaboration with local clergy was crucial to their efforts.
“PDA relies on our faith leaders to connect us with the areas and people where our resources may positively serve impacted individuals and communities, like the Alaskan Natives across Yukon-Kuskokwim,” said Lee-Cornell.
“Through their responsiveness, Presbytery of Yukon allows Presbyterians to bear witness to our compassionate kinship with one another during difficult circumstances, and we are honored to support their efforts in the immediacy of the typhoon and throughout the long-term recovery.”
The typhoon remnants hit various coastal towns especially hard, with some areas receiving over six feet of water and winds between 50 and 100 miles per hour, ABC News reports.
The Alaska National Guard had successfully evacuated hundreds of individuals, while the U.S. Coast Guard reported rescuing dozens of people from the flooding. Survivors are staying at community shelters. Officials say at least 49 communities reported impacts from the storm.
“Several of these villages have been completely devastated, absolutely flooded, several feet deep,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Christopher Culpepper, commander for Western Alaska, said during a news conference last week. “This took homes off of foundations. This took people into peril, where folks were swimming, floating, trying to find debris to hold onto in the cover of darkness.”
