Officials say one of the “most significant” airlifts in Alaska history is underway to evacuate hundreds of people from storm-devastated coastal towns. Officials announced the airlifts Wednesday. Some villages on the state’s southwest coast were inundated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend. The storm slammed into coastal communities, bringing record-high water levels in some areas. Many homes were swept away, some with people still inside. The storm at one point left about 1,500 residents in makeshift shelters. One person died and two are still missing.

Even by 2050 some coastlines could be unrecognizable from what we see today, with 14% to 15% facing severe erosion.