Anchorage earthquake emergency proclamation to expire Tuesday night

An emergency proclamation in place since Friday’s devastating earthquake struck will expire, according to Municipal Attorney Rebecca Windt Pearson.

She made the announcement at Tuesday’s regular assembly meeting, but she did put forth a new resolution that would allow the city to continue drawing on funds through the end of the year to continue managing repairs.

The Mayor’s Office was quick to issue a proclamation of emergency following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook homes and ripped roads to shreds.

All declarations that Mayor Berkowitz made following the emergency proclamation had the effect of law. The proclamation allowed the city to establish curfews and clear overtime for emergency responders like Police and firefighters. The Assembly actually had to extend the proclamation on Sunday, but it will expire at 10:00 Tuesday night.

Assemblyman Felix Rivera says even though the emergency declaration has been lifted and the city emergency operations center closed, there’s still plenty of work to be done within the Municipality.

“As we learned today, we have a lot of work to do, especially in our schools,” Rivera said. “And there are homes that probably have some serious damage, particularly we’re hearing reports in Eagle River and the Jewel Lake area. So I think we still have a lot of work to do, but in terms of the emergency operations I think we’re in the clear for now.”

The Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said Tuesday there is a state-declared disaster still in place, and they are working to secure more federal funding to help the state in its response efforts.

Assembly Chair Forrest Dunbar says there will be a meeting at Loussac Library at 11:45 Wednesday morning, connecting those who have suffered damages from the earthquake to state disaster assistance programs.