Volunteer uses planes, boats, helicopters and ATVs to reach affected communities in remote Alaska
- NEIA Red Cross
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Ashley Peterson-DeLuca
The Alaska Natives in the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta, comprising 48 tribes in the region, live off the water and tundra, combining modern living with ancient traditions. But on October 11-12, 2025, Typhoon Halong, with its 100 mph winds and flooding, tore away at their livelihood. It stripped insulation and roofs from homes, sunk fishing boats, soaked floors and cut power, causing many people to lose their homes and the fish and meat stored in chest freezers for the winter.
When Joe Vich, a Red Cross volunteer from Waterloo, Iowa, arrived on October 16, villages were already rebuilding. He took on the role of Reconnaissance Unit Leader, holding discussions with communities about the kind of support they needed. He met with leaders, often known as elders, from many villages along the coast.
“With the help of our partners, we distributed the items they said they needed—and many of those you wouldn’t see after a disaster in the lower forty-eight,” says Vich. “This included insulation, chest freezers, coolers and fishing equipment.”
How these supplies reached people also looked different. The Red Cross district base in Bethel, Alaska, was 400 miles away from Anchorage. People and supplies traveled by small planes, boats, helicopters and made the last few miles on ATVs, as many of the remote villages don’t have cars or roads.
“They were very appreciative of how the Red Cross came to them, listening to their needs and figuring out how to work together,” says Vich. He and the rest of the Red Cross are building relationships and looking to the future.
“It is about connecting with the communities and listening and working with them to not only get through the disaster but be more resilient when it happens again,” explains Vich. Typhoon Halong won’t be the last typhoon in the region—more than 60 typhoons have hit the region in the last 50 years.
Vich was in Alaska for just shy of three weeks, but this deployment, out of the over 40 he’s been on as a Red Cross volunteer, will stick with him.
He recalls with fondness answering curious children’s questions about what he was doing in their town, hundreds of miles deep in the bush.
“The people were so friendly and thankful,” he says. “It was truly an education in how a community can mobilize in a time of need to help each other while partnering with others to help those affected. Their community resilience is something they live every day, not just during a disaster. This is their generational lifestyle. It’s a model we can all learn from.”