Recovery efforts continued Thursday in Kotzebue after a storm and severe flooding destroyed buildings and forced 80 residents to evacuate their homes Tuesday evening. Rescue workers are trying to assess the damage as winter quickly approaches.

“I think with a lot of the debris we see, they don't even know who it is, whose stuff it is in their yard because things are floating around,” said Paulette Schuerch, who works with the native village of Kotzebue. The tribe has worked with the state, county and city on the emergency response and cleanup effort.

Officials said the flooding destroyed the Kotzebue harbor, several roads and bridges and dozens of buildings in several livelihood camps. The force of the storm also transported four large garbage containers to a sandbar in Kotzebue Lagoon.

City officials said two homes were also destroyed, displacing a family of six and a disabled elderly man. The family stayed at Kotzebue's school on Wednesday evening and the eldest stayed at the Nullaġvik Hotel. Coordinated efforts are underway between the city, the Kotzebue Tribe and local churches to ensure long-term housing, supplies and food for affected residents.

Schuerch said that although 80 people were evacuated to shelters on Tuesday, many more people may have left their homes to stay with family or friends. Many other residents' houses were damaged. She said while many homes are still standing, they could have unstable foundations, damaged insulation or other repairs that could lead to serious safety issues as winter quickly approaches.

“All the insulation and floorboards need to be repaired immediately or they would freeze,” she said.

The city of Kotzebue is asking residents to document storm damage and submit it to their planning department. It is necessary for individuals to receive disaster assistance.

City officials said portions of the Kotzebue Wastewater Lagoon were also affected, but the damage still needs to be further assessed.

Ten members of the Alaska National Guard are expected to arrive Friday.

“The airfield is open now, recently, but only for a few days,” said Alan Brown, a spokesman for the guard. “Our ability to get there — the logistics require a lot more energy and time and become more complicated the further out you go.”

Kotzebue Airport reopened to limited flights Wednesday evening after being closed for more than 48 hours. Maniilaq Health Center officials said an emergency flight coordinated with Alaska State Troopers and Red Dog Mine was able to deliver essential medications to Point Hope on Wednesday while most aircraft were unable to fly.

Airport officials said the runway and weather equipment necessary for air travel were damaged by the flooding. The access road to the airport was also significantly damaged. Brown said these things can make a big difference.

“Something of this magnitude happens in rural Alaska, logistics becomes a real factor whether we get supplies or not,” he said. “That takes a lot more time.”

State officials and the Alaska Division of the Red Cross are expected to arrive in Kotzebue in the next few days. Officials said more emergency supplies such as bottled water, dehumidifiers, fans and building materials will hopefully arrive soon.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a state disaster on Tuesday.

This story has been updated with additional comments from officials.