Dealing with disasters in Alaska isn’t quite like dealing with disasters in the Lower 48, Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Andrew Bogar believes.
The Red Cross suggests that people in the Lower 48 have provisions and survival items set aside that can keep them alive for 72 hours. In Alaska, the organization recommends that people have enough supplies to last for up to a week due to the isolation and lack of supply lines coming to the state.
“We’re pretty hearty people as Alaskans,” Bogar said, “but at the same time, there’s a lot of unknowns when it comes to earthquakes, when it comes to the different hazards we face here.”
With this week’s Juneau Safety &Preparedness Expo, the City and Borough of Juneau is hoping to prepare locals for those unknowns. The expo, which takes place every two years, runs from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Centennial Hall. The theme this year is, “Ready Or Not, Don’t Get Caught!” Around 50 booths will be set up, featuring local organizations, vendors and presenters who will have tips and survival supplies.
Admission to the event is free, and CBJ Emergency Programs Grant Coordinator Michelle Brown said she expects around 1,000 people to attend. The CBJ Local Emergency Planning Committee obtained a grant for the event from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Coast Guard also provided money to help put it on.
The Coast Guard, Capital City Fire/Rescue, the Juneau Police Department, the Alaska State Troopers, the Red Cross and others will come ready to answer questions and provide advice. There will also be chances for people to present their own personal survival stories, as there will be a microphone open in the Davis Room for much of the event where people can go up and share their experiences.
One of the main focuses of the expo is to teach people how to put together a personalized survival kit. Another is to educate people about basic first-aid, firearm safety, home fire safety, how to build a shelter, boating safety and other basics. There will be about 20 seminars throughout the event helping people prepare for these everyday tasks in addition to how to respond to major disasters.
Another aim of the expo is to get people in touch with volunteer opportunities, CBJ Emergency Programs Director Tom Mattice said.
“We have a lot of people in this town that wear a lot of hats, and we have 50 organizations in this room,” Mattice said, “and the goal is, for people who want to volunteer and want to help the community, is to be able to find the shoe that fits.”
Mattice and Bogar agreed that Alaska presents more distinctive challenges than most other places in the country. There’s no option to evacuate out of Juneau due to the city not being on the road system, Bogar pointed out, so there have to be plans in place to keep people safe here in town.
Fortunately, Mattice pointed out, Juneau residents are used to having to prepare ahead of time.
“We’re used to going to the supermarket the Saturday after Thanksgiving when the barge doesn’t show up and having the shelves half-bare,” Mattice said. “We know to have two extra cans of everything in the refrigerator. I also jokingly say that in SEAK, preparedness is a freezer full of salmon. We have a tremendous amount of resources at our fingertips.”
Bogar and Mattice laid out hypothetical scenarios, saying that everyone in the community will have a role to play in the case of a disaster. Gas stations will play a vital role. Banks will have to ensure that people are able to access their accounts. If something happens during the school day, teachers will have to assume responsibility of their students.
Alaskans are resilient, Bogar said, but they also need to be prepared.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a first responder, it doesn’t matter if you’re a fuel attendant or if you’re a school teacher,” Bogar said. “Everybody has to be prepared to assess their own life and where they fall in the community. We can’t do it without a single person here. We need everybody.”
Know &Go
When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Centennial Hall
Admission: Free
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com.
