In October 2025, Typhoon Halong battered Alaska’s western coast, leaving a trail of destruction across rural, coastal Alaska Native communities. Villages like Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were nearly wiped out. In Kipnuk alone, 90 percent of homes were destroyed, displacing hundreds of residents and underscoring the importance of funding Indigenous-led recovery.

Climate-driven catastrophes rarely make national headlines, but they carry devastating consequences. For these Alaskan communities, the loss of homes, businesses, transportation access and food supplies has triggered long-term displacement, with many evacuees relocated to Anchorage.

These disasters remind us of the urgent need for philanthropic investments in Indigenous-led recovery initiatives and self-determined climate action that supports long-term sustainability, cultural continuity and community well-being.

Coastal Indigenous Communities Are Uniquely Vulnerable

A convergence of geographic, structural and systemic factors places these Alaska Native communities and other coastal Indigenous communities at the frontlines of climate change impacts. Many are in low-lying remote areas where rising sea levels and intensifying storms pose immediate threats to their safety and stability. Infrastructure in these regions – homes, roads and public buildings – was not built to withstand such conditions, and when damage occurs, rebuilding is often slow due to isolation and limited resources. Ancestral ties to the land make relocation traumatic, threatening traditions, language and community cohesion, further demonstrating the importance of funding Indigenous-led recovery.

This disaster is not isolated. Alaska Native villages, such as Newtok and Shishmaref, have long grappled with relocation due to rising seas and erosion.  Across the United States, the Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana—a mostly Indigenous community—became the first federally funded climate relocation site. Years later, residents report broken promises and substandard housing. In the Pacific Northwest, 13 coastal tribes are navigating relocation plans amid bureaucratic hurdles and limited resources.

Funding Indigenous-Led Recovery: Why Recovery Must Be Community-Led

Indigenous communities need support to understand their risks, build resilience and develop preparedness plans before disasters strike. Sovereignty and self-determination must be central to rebuilding efforts.

Systemic inequities further compound the risks, as Indigenous groups often lack access to funding, representation in climate policy and decision-making authority. Despite being on the frontlines, they receive disproportionately little support for adaptation and resilience planning.

Read the full article about funding Indigenous-led disaster recovery by Cari Cullen at Center for Disaster Philanthropy.