Typhoon Disaster in Western Alaska
A recent typhoon in Western Alaska has raised concerns about the region's future, particularly for the Indigenous people who have lived there for millennia.
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is especially vulnerable to climate change, and the latest storm has displaced over 1,500 people, killed at least one, and left villages in ruins.
Storms are going to get worse, and it’s not going to be livable,” said Mike Williams Sr., a tribal leader from the Kuskokwim River village of Akiak. “We’re past the tipping point, maybe.
Scientists, such as Fairbanks-based Torre Jorgenson, who has studied the region for decades, also have doubts about the region's future.
The question remains whether the wide delta between the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers can continue to support the Alaska's Yupik people.
Author's summary: Typhoon hits Western Alaska.