FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Landslide Consultant Maps Risks in Sitka

By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Jill Missal, of Missal LLC, in Anchorage, presented an update of the ongoing Sitka Hazard Mitigation Plan at a recent Assembly meeting, identifying projects of higher priority, and requesting more input from the public.
    “It’s a way to organize mitigation projects so that the community will be eligible for federal funding, which is always passed down from FEMA through the state and associated agencies,” Missal said. “The updated plan is a requirement for certain types of hazard mitigation pre-disaster mitigation funding, so it is really important to have one.”
    The plans are updated every 5-10 years and this is Sitka’s first.
    “Staying updated keeps Sitka eligible for FEMA funding, for doing the projects that we identify for this plan,” Missal said.
    The plan has already gone through preliminary public comment, online surveys, and key city staff members, which resulted in Missal and partner members identifying projects to include Gavan Hill Landslide Protection, Stormwater System Repair and Upgrade, Public Education Campaign, Data Collection Plans and Systems, CERT Team Development, and a Food Security Improvement Program for Vulnerable Populations.
    Missal stated that the current task is to solicit additional public comments and suggestions.
    “Public input is really important to this plan, it is a major component of the plan according to FEMA,” Missal said. “So we are going to be offering as many opportunities to comment as possible.”
    Missal said a comment period for ideas for inclusion in the plan will be left open for about three weeks. Questions can be submitted to planning@cityofsitka.org or Jill.Missal@MissalLLC.com.
    “We also need to prioritize the projects on their political, environmental, economic and social benefits,” Missal said. “Prioritization isn’t set in stone, it’s just a tool we use in the plan.”
    Missal mentioned upgrades to the stormwater system throughout the community and the problems caused by inadequate culverts.
    City public works officials said they spend 30 percent of their time on clearing culverts and keeping the drainage system moving. The plan would reduce that time, and improve drainage throughout Sitka, which would help landslide hazard and flood hazards.
    “This project is beneficial because a cost study has already been completed in all the ways that the stormwater system needs to be improved,” Missal said. “It has been broken down into individual sub-projects already... The cost is around $1.8 million among the sub-projects, so those can be separately prioritized if funding becomes available to do this bigger project.”
    Missal said a Phase 1 study has also been completed for the Gavan Hill Landslide project, an important point to receive federal funding and grants from FEMA.
    The project is to reduce potential landslide damage to some critical facilities in the area (Sitka High and Keet Gooshi Heen schools, the city’s benchland water tank and the city recreational field).
    “There is usually a lot of questions about exactly what this project entails,” Missal said. “And right now we just don’t know because more studies are required.”
    Missal said the next phase is more field reconnaissance and analysis.
    “It sounds a little vague but what’s helpful about this is gathering more information always helps the community make better decisions,” Missal said.
    Missal said the Public Education Campaign is a popular and very cost effective portion of the plan.
    “Preparedness in a community really begins in individual households,” Missal said. “The more prepared the households are the more able they are to help other households and not need other additional services for the couple weeks it would take to get back to normal.”
    Public education fills the gap in public awareness by familiarizing the hazards and general, personal and home preparedness.
    Missal said this project could share efforts with other projects, and is popular because the money needed for it is minimal and it shows a commitment to true preparedness in the community.
    For data collection Missal said there are currently not enough monitors to gather information that would help focus mitigation activities of  weather related hazards, such as flooding and landslides.
    “We don’t know right now if an early warning system for landslides is even feasible,” Missal said. “But that is the point of collecting more data. This is the type of project that could have cost sharing with other agencies. A lot of people have a vested interest in weather. Cost saving is a great way to get these projects off the ground and we could also have the first step toward an early warning system for weather related hazards.”
    The CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) development is a nationwide endeavor spearheaded by FEMA with education and training already established and available to train community members willing to step up.
    “What happens in a disaster is people really want to help,” Missal said. “And they will show up, they definitely will.”
    The point of CERT is to let those type of people get training ahead of time. So when they do show up and they are on a CERT team and have the training you know exactly who they are and you know what their CERT abilities are. And they can be used for all kinds of incidents, not just disasters but also public events and things like that.”
    CERT could also consolidate and organize participation by other personal entities such as drone users and ham radio operators and others with special skills. It is also cost effective and can work in conjunction with public awareness campaigns.
    Missal also touched on improving food security for vulnerable populations, those that would need help ahead of time such as those on a fixed income or low income that might not be able to sustain a stockpile of food, and benefits the community as a whole, especially in a location with limited road system access.
    “Once those systems are established to help them you can have a more orderly return to normal,” Missal said.
    Missal stated that a volcanic action or natural disaster is likely to happen in the future again so a resupply might not be available for weeks.
    Aspects of this project are creating a stockpile or warehouse of food, sustainable food projects like community gardens or chicken coops, food shares or co-ops, and all could benefit the community as a whole.
    Missal said the next step is to prioritize these projects while still entertaining options to approve additional projects the public comes up with.








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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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