As residents were airlifted from Kipnuk on Wednesday, they left behind what remained of their homes, belongings and ancestral homeland.
For many, that also meant leaving behind their pet dogs.
Animals were not allowed aboard the National Guard and Army helicopters evacuating the community in the aftermath of the powerful storm that devastated the region.
In response, Bethel-based dog rescue Bethel Friends of Canines sprang into action, searching for ways to evacuate the animals left behind.
Director Jesslyn Elliot said that as of Friday, the organization was caring for about 70 displaced dogs, most of them rescued in bush planes.
"We're slowly but steadily getting the numbers down in Kipnuk," Elliot said.
The group coordinated with teachers who had stayed behind in the village. They rounded up the dogs to help them evacuate.
Elliot said pilots from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ryan Air and DeHaan Aviation quickly responded to Bethel Friends of Canines' call for aviation support.
Elliot said about 10 dogs from Kwigillingok were evacuated with residents on National Guard helicopters and are now in the organization’s care. However, she said more pets remain in the village, and the group has begun chartering flights to rescue them.
Elliot said that most of the rescued dogs' families have been identified, though some were surrendered after the storm or are strays. Some have been reunited with their families in Bethel or are being fostered by extended family. Other dogs have been sent to foster homes in Anchorage to help expand Bethel's capacity for future dog evacuations.
Right now, it's a matter of managing Bethel Friends of Canines' sheltering capacity before another round of evacuations can begin, Elliot said.
"We're pretty full, but people have stepped up," Elliot said. "Quite a few people stopped in and were like, 'Let me take a dog,' you know. And that has worked out the best. Just stopping by and saying, 'What can I do?'"
Independent efforts to evacuate dogs from flood-affected communities are also underway. Pilot Jeanine Faulkner has flown into some of the hardest-hit areas, rescuing plane loads of dogs. Sh's now housing some of them in her own home.
Pilot Nate DeHaan co-operates DeHaan Aviation and flew with Bethel Friends of Canines to Kipnuk on Wednesday evening. DeHaan said that they arrived just hours after the community had been evacuated.
"You start to see that debris field from a long ways away," DeHaan said. "And then you get closer, and you realize that the debris field is partially made up of buildings and people's houses, and they're a long way from the village."
DeHaan said that it was clear that people had recently fled. He described left-behind four-wheelers parked across from the airport.
"The airport ramp was just scattered with people's boots, with their rubber boots that they had left behind, you know, right before they got on the transport taking them out of there," DeHaan said.
DeHaan loaded kennels filled with dogs of all sizes onto the plane. He said he'd flown sled dogs after the Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race, but this was different.
"These dogs weren't necessarily tired and had a little more energy," he said.
DeHaan said it's heartwarming to hear some evacuees in Bethel were able to reunite with their pets.
"What it would mean for all these displaced families to get reconnected with a little piece of their home that they've had to leave behind, I can't even imagine," DeHaan said.
Elliot said that teachers in Kipnuk are still feeding and looking out for the few dogs that remain until future evacuations can take place.
Bethel Friends of Canines is calling for volunteers in Bethel to help the shelter manage dogs and supplies, Elliot said. It's also in need of dog bowls and flight kennels, and is accepting dog food donations to send to other storm-impacted communities. Elliot said that anyone can bring supplies by the shelter or leave them on the porch.
Bethel Friends of Canines is also accepting monetary donations through its website that will support its ongoing evacuation efforts.
In Anchorage, at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference on Saturday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke of her visit to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the aftermath of ex-typhoon Halong. After visiting the emergency shelter in Bethel's National Guard Armory, she took a Chinook helicopter to survey Kipnuk's damage.
Murkowski said that she brought two loose dogs from the village back with her to foster, who she's temporarily named "Kipnuk" and "Chinook." She plans to reunite the dogs with their owners.
This story was produced with contribution from Nat Herz at KYUK.
Copyright 2025 KYUK