1 dead, 2 missing and dozens rescued after remnants of a typhoon lash western Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — One person was dead and two were missing in western Alaska on Monday after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricane-force winds and ravaging storm surges and floodwaters that swept some homes away, authorities said. More than 50 people had been rescued — some plucked from rooftops.

Officials warned of a long road to recovery and a need for continued support for the hardest-hit communities with winter just around the corner. A U.S. Coast Guard official, Capt. Christopher Culpepper, described the situation in the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as “absolute devastation.”

Elsewhere in the U.S., severe weather killed a woman in New York City who was struck by a solar panel, and the Columbus Day Parade there also was canceled. Rescuers in the Phoenix area found the body of a man whose truck was swept away by floodwaters, and crews in southern California prepared for potential mudslides in fire-ravaged areas.

Alaska State Troopers said at least 51 people and two dogs were rescued in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after the storm system walloped the communities. Both areas saw significant storm surge, according to the National Weather Service.

A woman was found dead and two people remained unaccounted for in Kwigillingok, troopers said. The agency earlier said it was working to confirm secondhand reports of people who were unaccounted for in Kipnuk, but late Monday, said troopers had determined no one there was missing.

According to the nonprofit Coastal Villages Region Fund, most of the residents in both communities had taken shelter in local schools.

In addition to housing concerns, residents impacted by the system across the region reported power outages, a lack of running water, subsistence foods stocked in freezers ruined and damage to home-heating stoves. That damage could make the winter difficult in remote communities where people store food from hunting and fishing to help make it through the season.

Jamie Jenkins, 42, who lives in another hard-hit community, Napakiak, said the storm was “the worst I've ever seen.” She described howling winds and fast-rising waters Sunday morning.

Her mother — whose nearby home shifted on its foundation — and a neighbor whose home flooded came over to Jenkins' place. They tried to wait out the storm, she said, but when the waters reached their top stairs, they got in a boat and evacuated to the school.

Jenkins said “practically the whole community” was there. The men in town gathered their boats and went house to house to pick up anyone else who was still in their homes, she said.

Adaline Pete, who lives in another community, Kotlik, said she had never experienced winds so strong before. An unoccupied house next door flipped over, but she said her family felt safe in their home.

During a news conference organized by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Alaska's two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, said they would continue to focus on climate resilience and infrastructure funds for Alaska. Sullivan said it was the congressional delegation's job to ensure the Trump administration and their colleagues understood the importance of such funds.

Earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would end a program aimed at mitigating disaster risks. The decision is being challenged in court.

Murkowski said erosion mitigation projects take time to complete. “But our reality is, we are seeing these storms coming ... certainly on a more frequent basis, and the intensity that we’re seeing seems to be accumulating as well, and so the time to act on it is now because it’s going to take us some time to get these in place,” she said of such projects.

About 380 people live in Kwigillingok, a predominately Alaska Native community on the western shore of Kuskokwim Bay and near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. A report prepared for the local tribe in 2022 by the Alaska Institute for Justice said the frequency and severity of flooding in the low-lying region had increased in recent years. The report listed relocation of the community as an urgent need.

Erosion and melting permafrost pose threats to infrastructure and in some cases entire communities in Alaska, which is experiencing the impacts of climate change.

In California, rescue crews with helicopters and bulldozers were being pre-positioned near wildfire burn areas to respond to potential debris flows and mudslides as a major storm takes aim at the state. A flood watch was issued starting late Monday for much of Southern California, where several inches of rain were possible through Tuesday. To the north, up to 3 feet (1 meter) of mountain snow was predicted for parts of the Sierra Nevada.

A microburst and thunderstorm hit the city of Tempe, Arizona, on Monday, dropping about a half-inch of rain within 10 minutes, the National Weather Service said. Weather service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said a microburst — when a storm collapses on itself and pushes out at high wind speeds — can be mistaken for a tornado because of the damage it can cause.

The storm caused significant damage, including uprooting trees that toppled onto vehicles and buildings, and dropping them on streets and sidewalks. A business complex had its roof torn off, and thousands of homes lost power.

Heavy rain drenched much of the state, inundating parking lots and usually dry washes and leaving residential areas looking like rivers.

Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland. Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle contributed from Dallas.

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska, experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

Atlantic Ocean waves crash near Atlantic Beach, in Middletown, R.I., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Photo/Steven Senne)

A car drives over sand on Highway 12 after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A "For Sale" sign its on a flooded road after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Two people battle gusts with their umbrellas as they fight a wind-driven rain storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A homeowner takes a photo after a storm, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

C. Johnson, of Providence, R.I., carries an umbrella, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, while walking along a rain-soaked walkway near a sculpture, in Providence, R.I. (Photo/Steven Senne)

Stanislav Valchev, of Providence, R.I., left, and Dari Dimitrova, of Lewisburg, Penn., center, carry umbrellas while walking on a rain-soaked bridge, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Providence. (Photo/Steven Senne)

A road is inundated in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A man walks past houses at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A person stands and takes photos of houses at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

People look out at a flooded road in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A balcony hangs off a home at risk of collapse in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.

Verstappen came close to winning the title again this year, mounting an incredible late charge to crank up the pressure on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Earlier in the season, the McLaren teammates were contesting the F1 title between themselves.

But Verstappen changed all that.

Heading into Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had become a three-way battle.

Verstappen did all he could.

He won in Abu Dhabi from pole position for a third straight race win, a season-leading eighth and 71st of a stellar career.

It was not quite enough to overtake Norris, who won his first F1 title by placing third in the race and ending up just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings.

But it showed why Verstappen commands so much awe.

“This Max guy is pretty hard to beat,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky with a large dose of understatement.

One race earlier, at the Qatar GP, Brown had jokingly compared Verstappen to a horror movie ghoul who keeps resurfacing.

“He's like that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he's not coming back, he's back,” Brown said in a podcast interview before the Qatar race. “What an unbelievable talent he is. He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. We've never thought he was out.”

After winning the Dutch GP on Aug. 31, Piastri led Norris by 34 points and was 104 ahead of Verstappen, who back then had won just two races compared to seven for Piastri. Verstappen took advantage of McLaren's errors to barge his way back into contention.

“(When) you lose the championship by two points it looks painful. But on the other hand, if you look from where we were in Zandvoort, more than 100 behind, then it's not too bad," Verstappen said. “I’m very proud of the whole team. We could have also very easily given up at that point.”

Verstappen is already considered among the F1 greats, alongside Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

Despite his relatively young age, the 28-year-old Dutchman is already third all-time for race wins behind Schumacher (91) and Hamilton (105). Verstappen has 127 podium finishes and 48 pole positions — one area where he is not as clinical as Hamilton (a record 104 poles) was in his prime with Mercedes.

When Norris won the Brazil GP sprint race in early November, he moved 39 points ahead of Verstappen with four races to go.

A few weeks later, Verstappen had dramatically turned the tables and all the pressure was on Norris and Piastri.

“It’s probably fair to say that the world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season,” Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said. “A bit because of the magnitude of the comeback. A bit because he has been so relaxed.”

Verstappen has been more amiable since becoming a father earlier this year, and has made a concerted effort to reign in his occasionally scathing rants over team radio.

He was all smiles and friendly with Norris when they watched highlights of Sunday's race in the cool-down room.

In the past, bursts of rage or flashes of frustration would get the better of Verstappen.

Less so now.

But one thing that hasn't changed is his intense desire to win and deep self-belief, whatever the odds.

“The fightback has been really fun," Verstappen said. “I don’t see it like losing (the championship).”

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands waves towards the crowd on the podium after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates on the podium after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)