The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly enacted an ordinance that appropriates $700,000 to fund the Emergency Siren Warning System Update Project. The siren system provides emergency notifications to the public and ensures that residents and communities receive notification of tsunamis and other related disaster events. 14 sites are operated by the Borough. They are located in the coastal communities of Homer, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seldovia, and Seward.
A complete assessment of the siren system equipment and technology has been contracted from the Borough with HQE, Inc. The assessment report identified the need for a complete replacement of the current siren system to bring the equipment and technology up to current standards. According to HQE, Inc.’s report, there have been tremendous improvements to technology since the system was first installed that would add further layers of redundancy to ensure consistent activation.
According to Brenda Ahlberg, the improvements are deemed essential given the importance of the siren system and $700,000 will go towards the project.
Due to enactment, the Office of Emergency Management included the cities of Homer and Seward as well as the coastal unincorporated communities to evaluate the need to support alerting within public buildings as well as additional siren locations based upon the new tsunami inundation maps produced by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Earthquake Center. Ahlberg added that OEM will continue to pursue grant funding to supplement the project in addition to utilizing remaining fund balances.
Updates and improvements are expected to be completed during the 2022 construction season to ensure uninterrupted services.