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Emergency Management Office

The Corps of Engineers is one of the primary Federal agencies assisting state and local governments in protecting the public from natural and manmade emergencies.

 For floods, the Corps is the lead Federal response agency. Flood response activities are authorized under Public Law 84-99, and we can provide either technical assistance or direct assistance. There is no provision for financial assistance under PL 84-99.

 The Corps is also one of the primary agencies helping the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, part of the Department of Homeland Security) in responding to the full range of Major Disaster and Emergency events.

 The general principle is that emergency situations are handled at the lowest possible level.

            Individuals and families need to take appropriate steps to protect themselves, including developing and maintaining an emergency communications plan and a disaster supplies kit.

            Local governments have the primary responsibility for responding to emergency situations.

            When a situation is beyond local capabilities, Alaskan communities request assistance from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM), part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

            For pending and current flooding, DHS and EM can request assistance from the Alaska District, Corps of Engineers. The Corps can also provide assistance for repair of eligible flood control works that sustain major damage during a flood or coastal storm.

            For other disaster assistance that is beyond the state’s capabilities, the Governor of Alaska can request that the President of the United States issue a Major Disaster declaration or an Emergency declaration, which allows FEMA to provide assistance.

 For serious events, the Federal Government may implement the National Response Plan (NRP), which provides for a wide range of direct assistance to impacted communities. Under the NRP, the Corps of Engineers is the primary agency for Public Works and Engineering, Emergency Support Function #3 (ESF #3).

 The greatest disaster threat in Alaska is from a severe earthquake in the Anchorage area. Geologists have determined that shallow faults in the Anchorage area could produce much stronger shaking than occurred during the 1964 Southcentral Alaska Earthquake. Such an earthquake would leave the community without heat, which could result in extensive loss of life during the winter.

To prepare for such an event, the Alaska District and Pacific Ocean Division developed the Catastrophic Disaster Response Plan (CDRP) for an Anchorage earthquake. This plan describes how the Corps would provide immediate assistance to help the residents of Anchorage, and also coordinates the activities of the Corps with those of other agencies to prioritize the flow of personnel and supplies.

 Just as the CDRP calls for Corps offices from throughout the nation to assist us with a major earthquake in Alaska, the Alaska District provides assistance to any other Corps district that is facing a severe event. Many Alaska District employees deployed to the Southeastern United States to help respond to Katrina and the other 2005 and 2004 hurricanes. Other deployments have included Hurricanes Georges in Puerto Rico and Andrew in Florida, the Loma Prieta and Northridge Earthquakes in California, typhoons in Guam, Yap, and American Samoa, flooding on military bases in Korea, and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami. Several employees from the Alaska District are currently assisting reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other potential threats in Alaska include tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather conditions, avalanches, mudslides, and wildfires.
 

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