Key Takeaways
- The Alaska Native village of Kwigillingok is dealing with the aftermath of the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which caused major damage to homes and displaced most residents.
- The village has been navigating the effects of climate change for decades, and residents are now considering relocating to higher ground and further inland.
- The federal government established many of these villages around schools, without planning for climate change, and now residents face safety hazards as a warmer climate brings more flooding, erosion, and thawing permafrost.
- Hundreds of people evacuated after the storm and are now living in larger cities, which poses a risk to their language and connection to the land, subsistence hunting and fishing, and Yup’ik culture.
- The state and federal governments are focused on rebuilding what was damaged, but residents say they want to relocate and hope that the governments will be ready to help.
Introduction to Kwigillingok’s Struggle
The village of Kwigillingok, located on Alaska’s southwestern coast, is facing an urgent issue due to the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which hit the area in late October. The storm caused significant damage to homes, and most residents were displaced. Noah Andrew Sr., a 74-year-old lifelong Kwigillingok resident and Russian Orthodox priest, recounts the terrifying experience of his house floating away during the storm. He estimates that his house floated 2 miles with him inside, fortunately inland and not out to sea. Now, Andrew says he’s ready to leave and never wants to go through what he went through again.
Climate Change and its Impact on Kwigillingok
Kwigillingok has been dealing with the effects of climate change for decades, as permafrost beneath the village thawed and erosion and flooding became more severe. The village has sought to relocate to higher ground and further inland, hoping to keep the community together. However, there is no plan to make that happen, and no committed funding. The federal government established many of these villages around schools, without planning for climate change. Now, if residents move back, they face safety hazards as a warmer climate brings more flooding, erosion, and thawing permafrost. Darrel John, a lifelong Kwigillingok resident, says that the October storm was different from all the floods he’s gone through in his lifetime, with the water level rising much faster.
Relocation Efforts and Challenges
Moving to escape the consequences of a warming climate is an issue for many around the globe. In the U.S., a few cases have involved relocating entire Indigenous communities. The Isle de Jean Charles band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe began retreating inland a decade ago, and the Alaska Native village of Newtok started a 9-mile move across the Ninglick River in the early 2000s to escape the sinking, waterlogged tundra. However, these efforts have had mixed results, with costs exceeding $198 million combined and residents dealing with other problems, such as design flaws and inadequate water and sewer facilities. Kwigillingok residents say they want to relocate their village 27 miles northeast, further inland and on higher ground, and hope that the state and federal governments will be ready to help.
Government Response and the Need for Action
State and federal officials have a different agenda, focusing on rebuilding what was damaged and wanting more discussion and study of the relocation issue. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says that more research is needed and that this will begin after recovery from the storm. However, the state has been aware of these issues for years, and a report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium found that 144 communities across the state face various threats due to climate change, with addressing those risks costing about $4.3 billion over the next five decades. Residents of Kwigillingok say that they cannot afford to wait, as the longer they remain evacuated to cities, the more they risk losing their language and connection to the land, subsistence hunting and fishing, and Yup’ik culture.
Cultural Significance and the Importance of Action
In villages such as Kwigillingok, Yugtun remains the primary language, and residents still rely on subsistence hunting and fishing, an essential part of the local culture. The longer residents remain evacuated to cities, the more difficult it is to keep the Yup’ik language alive. Elders and community leaders across western Alaska say that the federal government has a responsibility to Yup’ik villages that need to relocate, in part because the Bureau of Indian Affairs chose many current village sites when it built schools and required families to move to be near them. If Kwigillingok’s plan to move to the new location happens, residents say they would continue to use the current village site as subsistence gathering sites, in line with the way such sites were traditionally used.
Conclusion and the Future of Kwigillingok
As winter has set in, recovery in Kwigillingok has slowed, leaving evacuated residents waiting to learn whether they’ll be moving inland to higher ground before the next storm comes. The village’s fate remains uncertain, and the state and federal governments must take action to address the urgent issue of climate change and its impact on Kwigillingok and other Alaska Native villages. The residents of Kwigillingok hope that the storm will open the eyes and ears of the government, and they will be ready to help them relocate to a safer place, preserving their language, culture, and way of life.