One of the "most significant" airlifts in the history of Alaska is under way to move hundreds of people from villages on the US state's south-west coast that were inundated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend, officials said.
It brought a record storm surge that swept away homes - some with people inside - and left 1,500 residents in makeshift shelters.
High winds and surf battered low-lying communities along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, nearly 800km from the city of Anchorage.
One person died and two are missing.
The hardest-hit communities include the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which have a combined population of almost 1,100.
Officials warned of a long road to recovery for the areas impacted and a need for continued support with winter approaching.
US Coast Guard official, Captain Christopher Culpepper, described the situation in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as "absolute devastation".
