Public Safety

Flooding, but no damage reported for Yukon Delta coastal communities after powerful fall storm

KYUK | By Evan Erickson

Published October 10, 2025 at 11:30 AM AKDT

Flooding from a powerful fall storm is seen in the Yukon Delta coastal community of Kotlik on the evening of Oct. 8, 2025.

Communities are tallying up damage from a severe Bering Sea storm that brought flood warnings to a vast swath of Alaska's western coast, leading to evacuations in the Northwest communities of Kotzebue and Kivalina on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Further south along the Yukon Delta coast, no significant damage was reported the morning after the storm.

In Hooper Bay, waters that inundated low-lying areas in the community had receded by the morning of Oct. 9. The community's public safety office confirmed that no damage had resulted from the flooding. A receptionist at the school confirmed that no families ultimately needed to use the school as an overnight shelter after the city and tribe offered up use of the space on the prior afternoon.

On the evening of Oct. 8, waters temporarily inundated the lower parts of nearby Scammon Bay and the road that accesses the community's airport. A village public safety officer (VPSO) confirmed that several boats had been swamped by high water, but the waters have reportedly receded and no property damage has been reported.

Water brought on by a powerful fall storm begins to inundate low-lying areas of Scammon Bay on the afternoon of Oct. 8, 2025.

Further north in Kotlik, photos posted to social media on Oct. 8 showed water surrounding all of the homes in the community. But by the morning of Oct. 9, the community's public safety office confirmed that water had mostly drained away. The flooding scattered debris around the area, but reportedly did not cause any damage.

In Nunam Iqua, where the National Weather Service expected some of the worst effects of the storm, no damage was reported. The community's tribal office confirmed on Oct. 9 that waters had completely receded after inundating the community for roughly six hours the prior evening.

Floodwaters brought on by a powerful fall storm are seen in the Yukon Delta coastal community of Nunam Iqua on Oct. 8, 2025.

These same Yukon Delta coastal communities are bracing for another, potentially much more powerful storm - the remnants of Typhoon Halong. A high wind watch has been issued for the region through the weekend, with wind gusts as high as 80 miles per hour expected. The National Weather Service said that flood watches will likely be issued soon as well.

Stay tuned to KYUK 640 AM or visit KYUK.org for storm updates as they become available.