In October 2025, severe flooding linked to the remnants of Typhoon Halong inundated Alaska Native communities in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, displacing residents and damaging homes and infrastructure. As climate change intensifies storms across western Alaska, such flooding is becoming more common. Yet there remains little direct evidence on how these events alter environmental conditions inside homes and surrounding residential areas, particularly in communities that rely on non‑piped water and sanitation systems.
This research project was designed to address that gap by taking advantage of a rare opportunity. Just two weeks before the flood, the research team had completed systematic sampling of indoor air, drinking water, and soil in the village of Tuntutuliak. That pre‑flood dataset made it possible to directly measure how a major flood changed environmental exposure conditions, rather than relying solely on post‑disaster snapshots.
The project returned to Tuntutuliak in the spring of 2026 to collect time‑sensitive post‑flood data from the same homes, along with additional residences that experienced significant inundation. By comparing pre‑ and post‑flood conditions, the study will quantify changes in indoor mold, bacterial, and heavy metal contamination in drinking water, and heavy metals and microplastics in soil. Household surveys and interviews will link these measurements to resident experiences, preventive actions, and cleanup decisions, providing insight into how human responses shape environmental risks after flooding.
The findings of this research will help identify environmental conditions that pose the greatest risks during recovery and inform more effective disaster response strategies for rural Alaska Native communities. More broadly, the project demonstrates the value of rapid, community‑engaged science at a time when climate‑driven flooding is no longer an exception but an emerging norm across the Arctic.
