The Kenai Peninsula Borough voted to approve and accept grant funds from the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to reimburse repairs at the Central Peninsula Landfill resulting from the November 30, 2018 Cook Inlet earthquake. On November 30, 2018, a 7.0 earthquake shook from five miles north of Anchorage which was felt across Southcentral Alaska and tsunami warnings were issued for coastal communities, including Seward and the Kachemak Bay communities of Homer, Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham.
At that time, the Kenai Peninsula Borough appropriated $450,000 from the general fund for disaster response and recovery through Ordinance 2018-19-26. A local emergency declaration was issued through the borough mayor for the entire Kenai Peninsula Borough on December 4, 2018 and was extended to June of 2019
The Federal Disaster Declaration approved eligible expenses associated with response, recovery and mitigation to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Alaska through the Public Assistance Program. Eight project applications were submitted through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance program for damages sustained to borough facilities.
Repair costs for the Central Peninsula Landfill leachate tank in the amount of $205,797.38 will be reimbursed to the borough as a 75% federal pass-through and a 25% state-matching grant awarded by the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. According to the Ordinance, the grant award exceeds the original appropriation of $450,000 by $141,427.56.
The ordinance passed through the consent agenda.