State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Agency name	State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Formed	1955 (as Territorial Emergency Services), reorganized 1982
Headquarters	Juneau, Alaska
Jurisdiction	State of Alaska
Parent agency	Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is the primary state-level agency responsible for coordinating disaster response and emergency management activities across Alaska. It operates within the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and collaborates with federal partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security (United States), and the United States Coast Guard to mitigate threats including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, and severe winter storms. The division links state resources to local boroughs and tribal governments including the Municipality of Anchorage, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the Aleutians West Census Area while interfacing with federal, municipal, and indigenous entities.

Overview and Mission

The division's mission emphasizes protection of life, preservation of infrastructure, and restoration of essential services across Alaska, coordinating with organizations such as the National Weather Service, the United States Geological Survey, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Alaska Railroad Corporation, and the Alaska Marine Highway to reduce hazard impacts. Its statutory authorities derive from Alaska statutes and directives issued by the Governor of Alaska and integrate planning standards from the National Incident Management System and the Stafford Act to support continuity of operations for agencies like the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska National Guard, and local emergency medical services.

Organization and Leadership

The division is structured into functional branches that mirror federal constructs including Operations, Plans, Logistics, Public Information, and Grants, working alongside entities such as the Alaska Division of Public Health, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Leadership has historically coordinated with elected officials including the Governor of Alaska and appointed leaders from the Alaska State Legislature, and with federal directors from the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Guard Bureau, and the United States Department of Agriculture when agricultural disaster assistance is required. The division's executive team engages with chief executives from boroughs, tribal councils like the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and municipal managers from cities such as Juneau, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, and Ketchikan, Alaska.

Responsibilities and Programs

Core responsibilities include hazard mitigation planning with partners like the Federal Aviation Administration, tsunami warning coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seismic response planning with the Alaska Earthquake Center, and wildfire readiness aligned with the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. Programs cover the State Hazard Mitigation Plan, the State Emergency Operations Center, the Public Assistance program under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, disaster recovery programs tied to the Community Development Block Grant process, and continuity programs for critical infrastructure operators including the Alaska Energy Authority and the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.

Emergency Planning and Preparedness

The division publishes and updates state-level emergency plans that coordinate with local emergency operations plans from jurisdictions such as the City and Borough of Wrangell, Nome, Alaska, and Kodiak, Alaska, and aligns exercises with national programs like the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program and the National Preparedness Goal. Preparedness activities include multiagency tabletop and full-scale exercises with participants from the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and private sector operators including ConocoPhillips and Hilcorp Energy when infrastructure impacts energy production or transportation. Outreach efforts link to nonprofit partners like the American Red Cross and tribal health organizations to improve community resilience in rural hubs such as Bethel, Alaska and Kotzebue, Alaska.

Response and Recovery Operations

During incidents the division activates the State Emergency Operations Center and coordinates resource requests and mission assignments with federal partners including the FEMA Regional Office, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Response operations have supported search and rescue coordination with the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, debris removal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and public health responses in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recovery efforts leverage federal assistance mechanisms used after events like the 1964 Alaska earthquake, the 2008 Alaska floods, and volcanic eruptions affecting the Aleutian Islands to restore housing, transportation, and economic functions for communities and industries such as fisheries and tourism operators like cruise lines that call on ports like Seward, Alaska and Whittier, Alaska.

Training, Grants, and Partnerships

The division administers grant programs including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program applications, Homeland Security grants coordinated with the DHS Office of Grants and Asset Management, and Emergency Management Performance Grants tied to the National Homeland Security Consortium standards, distributing funds to boroughs, tribal governments, and nonprofit partners like the Alaska Community Foundation. Training programs are delivered in cooperation with institutions such as the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska Technical Center, the National Emergency Management Association, and the Incident Management Assistance Team network to build capacity among responders from village clinics, volunteer emergency response teams, municipal public works departments, and tribal corporations. Interagency partnerships include memoranda of understanding with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act beneficiaries, collaboration with energy providers like Chugach Electric Association, and international coordination through Pacific Rim dialogues that engage partners from Canada, Russia, and Pacific Island states on transboundary hazards.

Category:Emergency management agencies in the United States