Alaska Catholics call for prayer, support after devastating floods

(OSV News) -- Catholic dioceses in Alaska are calling for prayer and support, after flooding from a recent typhoon devastated several coastal communities.

The remnants of Typhoon Halong struck the state's western coast over the Oct. 11-12 weekend, killing at least one. Two other individuals remain missing, and hundreds of stranded residents have been airlifted to Anchorage for safety, with many watching their homes float away.

According to state officials, some 1,800 Alaska residents from just under 50 communities had been displaced.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, set to tour affected areas Oct. 17, told media that briefings on the damages had indicated "almost something out of a warzone," and he warned that some areas might be uninhabitable "for some time."

In an Oct. 14 letter posted to Facebook, Bishop Steven J. Maekawa of Fairbanks asked parishioners to "pray for the people of western Alaska who were affected by the typhoon and storms this past week."

"For those who lost their lives and for their families and friends. For those whose homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged," wrote Bishop Maekawa. "For those communities that are without power, heat, and water. For the people working in the rescue and relief efforts."

The Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau has also urged prayer and donations. In an Oct. 16 Facebook post, the archdiocese specifically asked faithful to "please keep the people of Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta coast in your prayers, especially the people of Kipnuq and Kwigillingok," naming two communities that have been especially impacted by the storm.

In its post, the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau also included links to two disaster relief efforts.

One initiative, organized by a group of Alaska air cargo carriers, is seeking donations of water, diapers, hygienic items, winter gear, cleaning supplies and new bedding.

A second outreach launched by the Alaska Community Foundation is collecting monetary donations through its Western Alaska Disaster Relief 2025 Fund to assist storm victims.

Amid rescue and relief efforts, questions have been raised about a lack of effective storm defenses and untimely funding cuts that have left western Alaska Native communities in particular vulnerable to disaster.

In an Oct. 16 article, reporter Iris Samuels of the Anchorage Daily News said that while state and federal officials had "for decades" warned of potential "catastrophic damage," the "zigzagging politics of state and federal administrations" have left many Alaska Native villages still "vulnerable to flooding exacerbated by melting sea ice, coastal erosion and storm surges."

The New York Times observed in an Oct. 14 article that the Trump administration had canceled a $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in May -- funds that would have helped to stabilize the riverbank in Kipnuk, one of the hardest hit villages.

The news outlet clarified that "it is unclear whether the work funded by the grant would have prevented the tragedy," but noted that "the disaster laid bare the area's vulnerability to flooding and the consequences of the Trump administration’s cuts to environmental programs."

As cleanup and rebuilding continue, Bishop Maekawa pointed to the need for divine assistance.

"May all who were affected by the typhoon and storms be encouraged and strengthened by our Lord Jesus," he wrote in his letter. "Let us direct our prayers and efforts to support them in their time of need."