ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The ground beneath the house trembled as if an earthquake had hit, and suddenly it was adrift. Water began to pour in through the front entrance, and waves pounded against the large glass window.

In the single dry room where Alexie Stone, his brothers, and children gathered, the outside world appeared like an underwater scene, reminiscent of an aquarium. A drifting shed loomed dangerously close to the window but veered away at the last moment, sparing them from disaster.

Eventually, the house settled just a few feet from its original location, stopped by another building in its path. Despite this, the structure, along with much of Stone’s Alaska Native village of Kipnuk, remains unlivable. This followed a massive storm surge that inundated coastal areas of western Alaska, resulting in one fatality, two missing persons, and a large-scale evacuation. Over 1,000 residents had to be airlifted to safety.

“In our community, we pride ourselves on being Native strong and resilient, but this has been our toughest challenge,” Stone shared Thursday from the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, where he and hundreds of others found refuge. “Inside, everyone is looking out for one another. We’re grateful to be alive.”