Helping dogs after typhoon hit Alaska

As western Alaska reeled from devastating damage and flooding in the aftermath of Typhoon Halong, Humane World for Animals deployed members of our Animal Rescue Team to assist at the request of Bethel Friends of Canines. 

In addition to our on-the-ground assistance, we provided funding for an evacuation flight of animals from Kipnuk to safety at Bethel Friends of Canines, where they were being cared for until they could be reunited with their families. Emergency management officials reported that most of the residents of Kipnuk were evacuated from the village, where an estimated 90 percent of structures were destroyed.

We purchased dog food and supplies such as leashes, collars and bowls, which were delivered to Bethel via air cargo, along with a shipment of crates. When procuring food and supplies from outside the state, transit to Bethel can take days or longer, and in some instances, transit costs proved to be more expensive than the supplies.

Our assistance was requested by Bethel Friends of Canines, the only animal shelter in Bethel, which is typically run by two full-time staff members and rotating volunteers. For 10 years, Humane World for Animals’ Pets for Life program has partnered with this small but dedicated organization to provide veterinary and wellness services to the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta region of southwest Alaska.

When disaster strikes, our Animal Rescue Team is prepared to assist in a variety of ways, depending on the local needs and capacity. Our response can include search and rescue, establishing emergency shelters, supplementing local animal shelter operations, operating animal supply distribution points, arranging and funding much-needed veterinary care for impacted communities, and more. In the aftermath of Typhoon Halong, our on-the-ground assistance included:

• Loading and transporting dogs to flights to reunify them with their owners. One of the dogs—named Gilbert—had been separated from his family during evacuations from Kipnuk. Our team transported him to a flight to Metarvick to be reunited with his family.
• Our team traveled by plane from Bethel to Kipnuk, along with two local villagers, to capture the remaining dogs in Kipnuk. Several of their owners were quickly identified and reunions were planned. Two of the dogs, Cabbo and Jelly Bean, had been in their home when it was washed down the river.
• Assisting with food pantry support and supply distribution in Bethel.
• Augmenting the Bethel Friends of Canines staff and volunteer team to provide daily animal care and shelter operation assistance.

There are very few cats in rural Alaskan villages, so we did not encounter any cats in need of help. Our partners at Bethel Friends of Canines explained they see an average of 3-5 cats per year and that there are several reasons for the low cat population in the region, including the cost of getting litter shipped to such a remote area.

The best thing for out-of-state folks to do at this point is donate money to impacted shelters and rescues. Please check with those organizations before sending supplies to make sure what you want to send is actually needed and helpful. It’s important to keep in mind that when procuring food and supplies from outside the state, transit to Bethel can take days or longer and in some instances, transit is more costly than the actual supplies.

In order for an out-of-state agency to assist in a federal disaster area, there has to be an official request from the appropriate agency or emergency official. Alaska has a protocol for how to make these requests during a disaster, and if a group or agency is in need of help, we ask that they contact their local emergency officials, who—if assistance is needed—will get the request to us. These protocols are in place to ensure there is not chaos created by outside groups coming in.

If you need assistance evacuating, please contact your local emergency manager. You can find that information here: 

For Alaska: DHS&EM | Home 

A full list of state emergency contacts can be found here: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies

For further assistance, you can check the Typhoon Halong Missing and Found dogs website and call or text the missing pet hotline at (907) 615-8904; you are encouraged to include a photo of your pet if possible. "Callers can leave a message, and their information will be routed to the best available resource to help with reunification or support."

One-time gifts made through this form support Humane World for Animals’ Emergency Animal Relief Fund. Your gift today will ensure that our team can continue to answer the call during times of emergency wherever, whenever and however animals need us and that we can support families who experience disasters in keeping their pets. For full details on how one-time donations will be used, please see this page on our website.

Monthly donations, as indicated on the page where people submit their donation, will fund our lifesaving work for all animals.

Gifts made to our Emergency Animal Relief Fund are not exclusive to this response effort in Alaska—they help us answer the call to help animals wherever and whenever they need it. At this time, animals in Western Alaska needed us. Rest assured that we did everything we could to support this community by sending crates and food, and funding emergency flights to our partner, Bethel Friends of Canines. This was a challenging and expensive operation navigating a remote location only accessible by boat and single-engine planes, so we needed all the help we could get. Thanks to all who supported this operation and helped us be prepared to respond to future emergencies.