The City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska released a draft risk assessment for the capital city on June 17.
The updated risk assessment will help the city and tribe update the borough’s hazard mitigation plan, which expired in 2017. That plan will include projects to reduce the threat of hazards and a draft is expected in July.
The 328-page risk assessment includes risks posed by severe weather, fires, tsunamis, floods, erosion, glacier changes, avalanches, volcanoes, dam failures, cybersecurity and pollution. Unlike the last assessment, this draft includes social and cultural vulnerabilities including food security and sovereignty, sensitive sacred sites and housing.
Sabrina Grubitz, the public safety manager for Tlingit & Haida, said this is the first time the tribe has been included in the borough’s hazard planning.
“We want to make sure that that traditional knowledge is folded into the risk assessment and considered and how we approach disasters,” Grubitz said. “We have a lot of value to add to it.”
She said the next iteration of the draft should include more traditional place names and stories about disasters that have been passed down.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, the city’s emergency manager, said that an updated plan is required for Juneau to qualify for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which the city plans to apply for to alleviate flooding in the Mendenhall Valley.
“We are pursuing a really aggressive timeline with this particular plan update because we want to be eligible for an application deadline in October,” he said. “We’re hoping to use this plan to apply for funds that could help us find a long-term mitigation solution for Suicide Basin.”
Community members are encouraged to read the draft and attend a public meeting on June 30 at 5:30 p.m. Residents can submit public comments via email to laura.young@fairweather.com by July 1.
