EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SAFETY

Always on call: A look into the life-and-death reality of an Alaska avalanche rescue volunteer Earthquakes come fast in Alaska — preparedness needs to come faster pg. 3 pg. 9

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Always on call: A look into the life-and-death reality of an Alaska avalanche rescue volunteer Earthquakes come fast in Alaska — preparedness needs to come faster pg. 3 pg. 9
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Publisher : Ryan Binkley
Editor: Nina Wladkowski
Special Projects Director: Brandi Nelson
Sales: Joleesa Stepetin
Justin Thompson
Ryan Estrada
Victoria Hansen
Advertising Operations: Lisa McGuire
Graphic Designer: Jian Bautista
Cover photo provided by Alaska Mountain Rescue Group
This special publication was produced by the advertising department of Anchorage Daily News. The ADN newsroom was not involved in its production.
September is National Preparedness Month and a great time to talk about earthquake safety with your family. Earthquakes are powerful reminders that being prepared for a natural disaster in Alaska is not just a good idea, but a necessity. Take some time to review the following Natural Gas safety tips so you are prepared in the event of an earthquake.
Earthquakes are not unusual events in Alaska, so it is essential to be prepared if one strikes:
• Know the location of all utility shut-off valves (gas, water, and main electric circuit breaker).
• Be sure your appliances are safely secured, such as using straps that attach your water heater to the wall.
• Have an 8” - 12” wrench available to turn your gas meter off if necessary However, do NOT turn off your gas unless you smell gas or hear the hissing of a gas leak.
• If you do turn the gas off, leave it off Contact Customer Service when you are ready for the gas to be turned back on, and an ENSTAR technician will restore service and relight your appliances. In the hours and days after a major emergency, gas company calls will be backlogged, and you might have a substantial wait for a service technician to be scheduled to restore service to your home.
• After an earthquake, check to be sure nothing flammable has fallen or spilled near a natural gas appliance.
It ’s also important to know how to detect a gas leak following an earthquake.
SMELL: An odorant called mercaptan is added to natural gas to make it smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. Check your appliances inside the home and outside at the meter for a natural gas odor.
LOOK: Inspect the gas appliances and piping inside your home as well as the piping at your meter for any damage. To help avoid fire danger or carbon monoxide buildup, make sure the furnace, boiler, and water heater vents are clear of debris that may have shifted during the earthquake.
LISTEN: Leaking natural gas makes a hissing sound as it leaves piping or appliances. Listen carefully for anything that sounds like escaping air
LEAVE: If you suspect a gas leak, leave the premises immediately and call ENSTAR at: 1-844-SMELL GAS (1-844-763-5542).
To learn more about natural gas safety in the event of an earthquake, scan the QR code to the left.
By Anchorage Daily News Advertising Department
Getting a phone call that may mean the difference between life and death is a situation most people will never encounter.
But for Matt Lemons, it’s been a possibility every day for nearly a decade. The longtime rock climber and splitboarder has been serving as a search and rescue (SAR) specialist since 2016, when he joined the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group (AMRG), a nonprofit volunteer SAR organization based in Anchorage.
“Dedicated” barely begins to describe Lemons and the group of approximately 40 AMRG volunteers who train regularly and are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to emergencies involving mountain rescues across Alaska’s rugged landscape.
When the Alaska State Troopers’ office receives a 911 call involving an avalanche rescue, they reach out to the AMRG, which in turn calls in a team of local volunteers like Lemons to respond.
As a realtor who primarily travels between Sutton, Talkeetna, Girdwood, and Anchorage to show homes, Lemons is always prepared to leave on a moment’s notice to respond to a backcountry emergency — particularly during Alaska’s active avalanche season from November through April.
“I’ll just carry a duffel bag with a change of clothes and some rescue gear and stuff like that because the callouts are pretty random when they do happen,” Lemons said.
The frequency of those callouts can vary significantly. Sometimes they come only once or twice a year; other times, it’s closer to once or twice a month. As an avalanche specialist, Lemons has the highest-level specialized training to respond to those calls, some of which involve injuries or deaths caused by an avalanche.
When a call comes in, Lemons and his fellow team members gather as much information as possible from the local authorities to determine the most likely location of the avalanche victim, when it occurred and the type of injury they may have sustained. From there, they outline a strategy, including what gear and equipment they will need, conditions, access and more.
“So in an avalanche scenario…if they are above the snow, we typically don’t need as many people because we’re not searching the area to find them, and so then it ends up being a packaging situation,” Lemons said. “So, we need to carry in a [stretcher]. We might need snow machine access. If it’s really tricky, sometimes we just have to ski or climb in. If the weather’s good, we can get a helicopter ride sometimes.”
Lemons and his fellow SAR volunteers will reach the victim however possible — often a treacherous journey involving traveling through dangerous conditions themselves — to “package” the victim out however is necessary, whether that’s via a helicopter or by hooking them up to a “litter,” a stretcher shaped like a sled.
“Then, we’ll have an ambulance or sometimes even a helicopter meet us in the parking lot,” Lemons said.
‘THE CLOSURE FOR THE FAMILY IS PRETTY POWERFUL’
Returning to a parking lot or placing a victim on a helicopter can be an especially emotional experience, something Lemons said can be extremely rewarding.
“When things go well, there’s typically family and friends waiting in the parking lot,” he said. “When you see people come back and the family’s super emotional, everybody’s happy, those are great.”
When the outcome is more challenging and involves someone who didn’t make it, Lemons said it is still fulfilling.
“When they don’t go great, it’s a lot harder,” Lemons said. “The reality is, the mountains are a pretty harsh place. And even if they don’t go well, the closure for the family is pretty powerful.”
AMRG’s stress and resilience team is also typically on standby to offer emotional support and resources to the loved ones of avalanche victims.
‘THE UNSUNG HEROES’
Lemons said he leans on his family and friends for his own support to serve as a SAR specialist.
“Family is probably one of the unsung heroes of mountain rescue,” he said.
As the father of two young boys ages 2 and 6, he said his wife never hesitates to step in if he gets a call, whether it’s in the middle of the workday or at two in the morning.
“There’s been times where I’m putting my youngest to bed, the phone rings, and I just grab my bag and my wife takes over,” Lemons said. “And sometimes, I’m not back for 24, 48 hours. The significant others…that’s a heavy lift right there to just say, ‘Bye, hope things go well, hope that you don’t get injured,’ [and] also filling in the void of just taking over dayto-day life.”
‘THE MOUNTAINS DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR TIME’
Lemons said that while having the appropriate gear when venturing out on a backcountry trip is critical, knowledge, preparation and a willingness to be flexible are just as, if not more, important for staying safe.
“A lot of people get into trouble because they are very focused on their time, and the mountains don’t really care about your time,” Lemons said. “Some days, you just need to call it a day and go home.”
He said that’s why it’s critical for any outdoor enthusiast to pay close attention to the weather and avoid becoming so fixated on their objectives that they’re unwilling to turn around or stop.
“The avalanche forecast centers put hours and hours and hours into daily forecasts in most popular areas,” Lemons added. “You can get a lot of information before you leave home, [so] you know what you’re getting into at that point.”
Lemons also recommended carrying appropriate gear, including a freshly powered beacon shovel probe to pinpoint the location of a buried person, a high-quality snow shovel and radios or satellite phones for communication.
Mostly, he added, a willingness to learn new things — such as warning signs an avalanche may occur or snow digging techniques — can mean the difference between life and death.
“There’s a lot of books, there’s a lot of websites, there’s a lot of information out there, and there’s a lot of just really smart people that are willing to share information,” Lemons said. “Research… can save you a lot of headache, and possibly save your life as well.”
Asked why he dedicates his life to AMRG, Lemons said he wants to give back to the mountain sports community he loves.
“I personally have lost some folks in the mountains,” he said. “It’s a pretty mindblowing experience to give that peace to people.”
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By Jackie Richter, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Premium Health News Service
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m reaching out because I’m in a tough spot. A close friend rode out Hurricane Ian in Florida last year and it seems to me that he’s struggling now. He’s angry and jumpy, while being numb to what’s happening around him. He told me that he’s not sleeping well, especially when another hurricane is in the news. Is it possible that he has PTSD from the hurricane? I’m not sure how to offer support without making him feel uncomfortable.
ANSWER: Post-traumatic stress disorder, also called PTSD, doesn’t just happen to characters on the screen. It’s a normal, natural response to trauma and happens when the nervous system, which is designed to protect you from danger, gets stuck in the fight-or-flight response.
People may develop PTSD when they experience, see or learn about a shocking experience or event involving harm, threatened death or serious injury. Natural disasters, like experiencing the power and devastation of Hurricane Ian, can trigger PTSD.
In addition to natural disasters, other common events that cause PTSD symptoms include accidents, being threatened with a weapon, combat exposure, abuse or receiving a lifethreatening medical diagnosis.
Some people experience distressing symptoms for a short period after a traumatic event but get better with time and self-care. For others, the symptoms worsen over time and begin to interfere with daily activities and relationships.
Overall, PTSD symptoms usually are grouped into four categories:
• Intrusive thoughts. Recurrent and unwanted memories of the traumatic event can cause significant emotional distress or physical reactions. The person may experience nightmares or flashbacks, which is reliving the traumatic event again.
• Avoidance. People with PTSD may avoid talking about the event or steer clear of places, activities or people that remind them of the event.
• Mood and thought disturbances. This category of PTSD symptoms can mirror depression, with people experiencing hopelessness, negative
thoughts about themselves or others, detachment from loved ones, lack of interest in activities, emotional numbness and relationship difficulties.
• Reactivity. These symptoms may include being easily startled, always on guard for danger and overwhelming feelings of guilt or shame. The person may be irritable or have angry outbursts. They could have trouble sleeping or concentrating and engage in self-destructive behaviors such as drinking too much or taking illicit drugs.
It’s important to note that some people may have a few PTSD symptoms but not enough for an official diagnosis of the condition. In these cases, treatment still can be helpful and can guide people toward self-care strategies and coping mechanisms.
The good news for you and your friend is that PTSD is treatable, and many people manage it well or recover from their symptoms. Some protective factors are especially helpful during recovery, including having positive social support from friends like you.
PTSD treatment involves addressing both the physical and mental aspects of the condition. Treatment plans developed by a healthcare professional are tailored to meet the needs of each person.
Certain treatments calm the nervous system and help people regain control over their physical responses to triggers. These tactics help the person have an automatic physical response to tell their body that a perceived threat isn’t accurate. Examples include grounding techniques, breath awareness and bodyfocused interventions. For example, short and shallow breaths can be signs of the nervous system reacting to a trigger. Through treatment, people can identify
this reaction and learn to take slow breaths, which can calm the physical reactions.
Cognitive processing therapy can help your friend identify and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs related to the hurricane. Other treatments, such as exposure therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing can help as well. Finally, medications may be helpful when used in combination with other treatment options.
I encourage you to discuss your concerns with your friend. Focus on your observations of his behaviors before and after the hurricane. Listen without judgment and don’t minimize his feelings. Suggest that he seek professional help to undergo a thorough exam and have his symptoms evaluated.
Finally, I recommend that you learn more about PTSD to get a grasp of what he is going through and why he may react the way he does. Remember that each person’s reaction to a traumatic event is valid, and his trauma shouldn’t be compared to another person’s trauma as “better” or “worse.”
PTSD isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a normal response to traumatic events, like a hurricane in your community. With a combination of interventions and professional help, your friend can learn to manage his symptoms and regain control. — Jackie Richter, Psychiatry & Psychology, Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. This Mayo Clinic Q&A represents inquiries this healthcare expert has received from patients. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.
Immediate Emergencies - Fire, law enforcement, EMT/paramedics, ambulance: 911
Public information regarding evacuation instructions, emergency shelter locations, conditions: 211
Alaska State Troopers – Anchorage Post: 907-269-5511 (for non-emergency assistance outside Anchorage city police jurisdiction)
Wasilla Police Department: 907-352-5401
Anchorage Police Department (Non-Emergency): 907-786-8900
Anchorage Fire Department (Non-Emergency): 907-267-4936
Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 or text “poison” to 797979, 24/7 to speak to a trained pharmacist or nurse
Animal Poisoning Help Line: 1-888-426-4435
Anchorage Animal Care and Control (for lost pets, animal emergencies): 907-343-8122
Alaska SeaLife Center Marine Animal Stranding Hotline: 1-888-774-SEAL (7325)
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 (call or text)
Psychiatric Emergency Hotline (Providence Crisis Recovery Center): 907-563-3200
Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence (STAR): 907-276-7273
Child Abuse Reporting Hotline (Alaska Office of Children’s Services): 1-800-478-4444
AMBER Alert Hotline:
866-AKAMBER (866-252-6237)
Silver Alert Hotline: 855-SILVR99 (855-745-8799)
Emergency Conditions Line - Anchorage Municipality: 907-343-4701
Alaska State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC): 907-428-7100 (for coordination during statewide emergencies)
Marine Emergency: VHF Ch.16
Coast Guard Command Center: 907-463-2000
Aviation Emergency: Frequency 121.5MHz, SQK:7700
Alaska Department of Transportation/511 Traveler Information – Road Conditions or Hazards: 511, or 1-866-282-7577; https://511.alaska.gov/
National Weather Service – Anchorage Office: 907-266-5105; weather.gov/afc Tsunami Warning Center: 907-745-4212
UTILITIES
Chugach Electric: 907-762-7888
ML&P - Municipal Power and Light: 907-279-7671
Matanuska Electric Assn.
Mat-Su: 907-696-7697; In Eagle River: 696-POWR (696-7697)
ENSTAR: 907-334-7763 or 1-877-907-9767
Alaska 811 (Before You Dig): 811 or 1-800-478-3121
First Aid:
The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:
• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes), also found within our Family First Aid Kit
• 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets
• 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
• 1 emergency blanket
Roadside Emergency:
1. A first aid kit
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
• 1 3 in. gauze roll (roller) bandage
• 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
• 5 3 in. x 3 in. sterile gauze pads
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
• Emergency First Aid instructions
• 2 triangular bandages
• Tweezers
• 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
The Red Cross recommends the following 10 items in a roadside emergency kit that stays in the car:
2. An emergency radio
3. Flashlight (and extra batteries, as needed) 4. Jumper cables
Wilderness Survival:
5. Water and nonperishable food
6. Warm clothing and blankets (snow boots in winter!)
The basics of any wilderness/outdoor survival kit should include:
• First aid items
• Water purification system
• Fire starting equipment
• Signaling items
• Food procurement items
• Shelter items
• Wild animal safety items
Examples and, depending on the activity, specialty items, may include:
• Butane Lighter, magnesium fire starting tool, waterproof matches
• Sunscreen, bug and insect repellent
• Compass
• Fishing line
Home Survival:
• Fishhooks
• Candle
• Small magnifying lens
• Water purification tablets
• Solar blanket
• Surgical blades
• Butterfly sutures
• Needle and thread
• Knife
• Firearm
• Bear spray
• Signaling mirror
• Snare wire
A stay-at-home kit for emergencies such as massive earthquakes, tidal waves, volcano eruptions, extreme weather, and/or extended losses of power and/or water. According to the American Red Cross, at a minimum, you should have the following basic supplies:
• Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Whistle
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area
• Flashlight
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
Additional items to include may contain:
• N95 or surgical masks
• Matches
• Rain gear
• Towels
• Work gloves
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Household liquid bleach
• Entertainment items
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, etc)
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Games and activities for children
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Two-way radios
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Manual can opener
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Longtime Alaskans remember the devastation of 1964's Great Alaska Earthquake, a landmark disaster that destroyed Southeast Alaskan communities, generating tsunamis and landslides in its wake.
But younger or newer Alaskans may be unfamiliar with the unique earthquake and tsunami risks their state faces. Scientists are working to educate Alaskans on the kinds of natural disasters their state experiences — and arm them with the digital tools and community response plans they need to get ready.
Ever wondered why Alaska seems uniquely prone to earthquakes and all the accompanying natural disasters? The answer lies somewhere off the southern coast.
Southern Alaska sits at the collision of tectonic plates, more specifically, the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. In the battle between those two plates, the Pacific Plate is slipping under the North American Plate, a process you may have felt.
“That process largely happens not as a smooth conveyor belt, like maybe we learn about in ninth grade, but really in short bursts, lunges, if you will, that manifest as earthquakes,” said Dr. Michael West, Alaska’s state seismologist and director of the Alaska Earthquake Center.
Earthquakes aren’t the only consequence of plate movement, as anyone who has lived in Alaska for long enough will know. When an earthquake causes the ground to move up and down underwater, that movement can produce a tsunami, a wave that can register as an everyday ripple or a 30foot hazard — generally, an earthquake needs to be a magnitude 7 or greater event to generate a tsunami warning. Part of the danger for Alaskans? Tsunamis can be created right off the state’s coastline, meaning coastal
Alaskans have just minutes to respond, not hours. The resulting wave can throw around deadly debris and flood a community for several hours before the water recedes.
Alaskans live with other tsunami triggers most states don’t have to worry about, including volcanoes and glacial fjords. A volcanic eruption or a landslide can trigger a deadly tsunami, said Dr. Elena Troshina, a tsunami modeler with the Alaska Earthquake Center.
“The communities that suffered most in the 1964 tsunami were Seward, Valdez, and Whittier, and in all of them, people died from local landslide tsunamis,” Troshina said. “It’s one of the major hazards. Basically, the ground shaking triggers underwater landslides or above water landslides, and this is what makes the wave. Unfortunately, this type of hazard is hard to escape, because the waves arrive within several minutes.”
MODERN TECH: ‘WE KNOW NOW IN A
Fortunately, Alaskans aren’t facing these risks unarmed. Seismic monitoring technology has gone through a remarkable evolution over the last six decades, reaching levels of precision and immediacy that would have once been inconceivable.
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While the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake devastated the state, it also gave scientists an unprecedented understanding of now-basic concepts like plate tectonics. It was, West said, the first time scientists could see specific ideas actually play out instead of just theorizing about them.
In the decades since, scientists have developed digital technology and instrumentation that allows them to observe minute happenings in the world around us.
“We know now in a matter of minutes things that might have taken months to figure out once upon a time,” West said.
The Alaska Earthquake Center is a hub for this type of up-to-the-minute data gathering. The organization operates monitoring stations across the state that constantly transmit seismic data back to the Earthquake Center, giving its faculty an eye on all types of geological activity.
“At any one moment, we know whether there are earthquakes happening on the Seward Peninsula, mining blasts happening around a whole variety of different places in the state,” West said. “We see the shaking from glaciers calving all along the southern coast, volcanoes that are awakening — all of these different things flow in through the 27/4 constant monitoring of ground shaking.”
Today, any Alaska resident can check on recent earthquake locations and data through the center’s site.
The quality of modern data and technology is also critical to Troshina’s work. The tsunami modeler and her colleagues use a supercomputer to calculate the possible extent of tsunami flooding in each Alaskan coastal community, then use their data to create tools like an interactive tsunami modeling map or brochures that show communityspecific high-risk areas and tsunami flood modeling. (Access your coastal community’s brochure at earthquake. alaska.edu/tsunami/brochures.)
Troshina’s work doesn’t just live online — she and her colleagues visit coastal Alaskan communities to prepare them for tsunamis, showing residents personalized tsunami model maps and working through community tsunami response plans.
There’s mixed preparedness and understanding along the coastline, though Troshina finds it easiest to educate and prepare communities that have direct experience with tsunami devastation.
“Tsunami events are very rare, and [for] communities that never experienced the 1964 tsunami, it’s a little bit harder to work with them,” she said. “The communities that were in the rupture zone of the 1964 Tsunami … it’s easy to talk to them about the hazard, it’s easy to convince them that they need to do tsunami drills, they need to practice evacuation, they need to educate the residents, and so on.”
The Alaskan Earthquake Center team also works to ensure that tourists visiting Alaska are educated on earthquake and tsunami risks. It’s a tricky job — no one enjoying an Alaskan cruise wants to imagine their vacation getting interrupted by a natural disaster. Still, it’s a hazard tourists should keep in mind, Troshina and West cautioned.
Both experts recommended that Alaska residents and tourists equip themselves with online education and resources from organizations like:
• The Alaska Earthquake Center: Along with the modeling and monitoring resources discussed above, the center offers preparedness guides at earthquake. alaska.edu/prepare.
• The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program: The federal program connects users with tsunami alerts, tsunami educational materials, and more.
• The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: The agency offers an earthquake simulator, tsunami evacuation maps, and other preparedness resources.
Even if your community isn’t very prepared for an earthquake or tsunami, you can be. Troshina cautioned that Alaskans should be ready to respond to a tsunami warning even in the middle of the night — and to wait out some significant flooding.
“People need to know that tsunamis are not just in and out in an hour,” Troshina said. “No, it will be 12 hours at least, or 24 hours before it will be ‘all clear’ in case of a serious event, so you need to be prepared to stay (in your shelter) for a long time, to have your water, to have your food, to have your communication tools and so on.”
While no communities or experts can stop the powerful shaking and flooding that accompany earthquakes and tsunamis, Alaskans can arm themselves with the tools and knowledge to respond correctly if disaster strikes.
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Providence Alaska Medical Center (PAMC) is honored to be the only hospital in Alaska recognized as Best Regional Hospital in U.S. News & World Repor t ’ s 2025 -2026 Best Hospitals Rankings PAMC was also recognized as high per forming in the treatment of two adult specialties and 10 procedures and conditions, more than any other treatment center in the state.
Our award-winning care reflects the exceptional work of our caregivers, providers and community par tners, who share our commitment to ensuring Alaskans get the best care possible close to home.
Learn more at Providence.org/PAMCawards.