JUNEAU, Alaska—A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Alaska’s most populous region has renewed focus on the state’s readiness to deal with a natural disaster.
And it’s not just earthquakes that pose a danger across the vast state but also wildfires, floods, landslides and even volcanos.
Robert Forgit, Alaska area manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he thinks Alaskans are resilient and perhaps more used to quakes and flooding.
The state also does a good job of working with communities on emergency plans, he said.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said it’s hard to say how prepared residents are.
Many people hunt and fish and have a freezer full of meat, and there are people who live near the road system but are remote enough that they tend to stock up more on food, he said.
