Anchorage volcano activation plan rises to ‘level 2′ of 5
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The expected eruption of Mount Spurr — a volcano just 75 miles west of Alaska’s largest city — has prompted municipal officials to upgrade their activation status Thursday.
The office of Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance put out a notice Thursday that the city’s Office of Emergency Management will be stepping up its activation status to level two out of five total.
It means the city’s eruption plan for Spurr will go from “normal operations” to “response incident monitoring,” according to the municipality’s description of all five levels. Level two means responding agencies could take “coordinated action.”
Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson said Anchorage had most recently been moved to a “level two” in January during a powerful windstorm throughout the Southcentral Alaska region. She said the decision to upgrade the activation level for emergency management came after more information about Spurr’s activity was available.
“This escalation is simply because we know something might come and we’re getting ready,” Windt Pearson said.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory said earlier this month that new magma had intruded into the Earth’s crust beneath Mount Spurr, which indicates an eruption is likely — but not certain — within the next few weeks or months.
The observatory said the most likely outcome is something similar to what occurred in 1953 and 1992.
Citing previous ashfalls of roughly 1/4 of an inch, Windt Pearson added: “It isn’t because we anticipate that this is going to be something that has a really critical impact on the community.”
According to Windt Pearson, the municipality is making its plans so officials are “ready to go in the event that there is an emergency.”
The volcano’s aviation alert level was upgraded on Oct. 16, 2024, from “green” to “yellow” by the AVO.
Should AVO signal there is a higher likelihood of an eruption, Windt Pearson said the municipality’s activation level will rise too. Depending on the type of emergency, different agencies will be involved in what the municipal manager described as an internal communication network.
“There’s a lot of communication element to this, making sure that the community is prepared for potential impacts to vehicles, for potential impacts to technology,” Windt Pearson said. “We’re pushing out some more information about what should you do with ashfall on your property, etcetera.”
LaFrance stated Thursday that the city is working to keep residents informed of any impending eruptions, which could be coming in weeks or months, according to the AVO. Along with offering personal protective equipment to all who need it, Windt Pearson said they’ll be working with the health department, school district, and military base to ensure multiple areas will be prepared in the event of an eruption.
“Stepping up our emergency operations one level is the appropriate move to help manage preparation and reduce community concern,” LaFrance said. “I encourage people to check in with family and be prepared if we do end up seeing some ashfall here in Anchorage.”
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