PACIFIC OCE AN DIVISION
ALASKA DISTRICT SPRINGS INTO ACTION AFTER EARTHQUAKE RATTLES ANCHORAGE
O
fficials for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Alaska District spent decades planning and preparing for the “next big one,” a catastrophic earthquake on the scale of the massive 9.2 seismic event that rocked the southcentral region of the state on March 27, 1964. Experts agreed another potential disaster lurked beneath the tundra, but no one could predict when or where it would strike. On Nov. 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m., forecasters’ long-held fears were realized when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake erupted just 7 miles north of Anchorage. While not as powerful as the Good Friday earthquake – the infamous disaster from more than a half-century ago that ranks as the world’s second-strongest temblor ever recorded – the Cook Inlet earthquake generated the most violent shaking in the area since its predecessor’s historic episode. Making matters worse, the upheaval occurred when winter temperatures hovered in the mid- to high-20s. “Sooner or later, we knew it would happen,” said Herschel Deaton, chief of the district’s Emergency Management Office. “Fortunately, we were ready. We’ve conducted an annual cold-weather earthquake exercise for this exact situation, so everyone knew what to do.” Immediately after the thunderous jolt, the district headquarters on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson lost power briefly before its backup generator kicked in. It operated for about two hours to keep lights and computers functional until the installation restored electricity to base facilities. In the sudden aftermath, the organization’s first priority was to ensure the welfare of its local workforce. After quickly assessing the situation and determining that all 350 employees were safe and accounted for, the district leadership ordered the evacuation of its headquarters and surrounding buildings. A short time later, team members were dismissed to take care of their families and check on their homes.
PHOTO BY TOM FINDTNER
BY TOM FINDTNER, Alaska District
Robert Koruna (left) and Eric Adams of the Alaska District’s structural assessment team examine a crack in a stairwell during an evaluation of critical facilities on Dec. 4, 2018, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
“We were extremely fortunate that no one was killed or seriously injured,” Deaton said. “It was a unique incident because we were directly affected by the earthquake, but also expected to engage in support missions.” Some personnel were traumatized by the experience and further troubled to discover damage to their homes and household items. Many people were inconvenienced by power outages, dismayed by cracked interior walls, and mourned the loss of shattered dishes or broken keepsakes. In severe cases, employees reported structural damage, misaligned chimneys, ruptured gas lines, and snapped water pipes at their residences. As a result, four displaced workers and their families were forced to move into temporary lodging until their homes could be repaired. To help employees cope with these challenging circumstances, the district offered mental health counseling services and the opportunity to meet with a military chaplain. In the spirit of taking care of its own, the organization also established a relief fund on Dec. 6 to provide one-time grants to employees affected by the earthquake. The financial assistance was intended to help with the immediate replacement of essential items such as food and kitchenware or perhaps offset a larger expenditure. The account was funded by voluntary donations from the workforce and the plan was to issue $100 allotments on a first-come, first-served basis. 111
