Emergency Preparedness

It is the goal of the City of Homer to provide every home and business in the city with access the all the information they will need to become prepared for any type of foreseeable emergency they could face. Being prepared in Alaska means much more than having a flashlight or radio handy when the power goes out, it means having a comprehensive plan for your entire family or business to enable you to remain resilient in a crisis; it means knowing how to contact your family, friends, co-workers and customers after a disaster; it means being as self-sufficient as possible for at least a week, with enough food and water and other essentials (prescription medications, pet food, heat sources) to not have to rely on outside assistance; it means being able to recover from disaster as quickly as possible by having a plan on how to operate your home or business without power for several days, or even weeks; and it means being a survivor, rather than a victim.

Tsunami Ready Community - Homer was the second community in Alaska to be granted the designation of "Tsunami Ready Community", a program conducted by the National Weather Service. This designation means that the community can quickly receive tsunami (as well as other emergency warning information) from the National Tsunami Warning Center and National Weather Service, and alert those residents living in potential tsunami impact zones within Homer.

Storm Ready Community - Homer is also holds the StormReady designation from the National Weather Service for our commitment to protect the community from the effects of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. StormReady promotes hazard preparedness to improve public safety before, during and after weather-related emergencies. We have a 24-hour warning point and support emergency operations center (EOC) operations when activated; support more than one way of receiving warnings and alerting the public and hold annual exercises.  This certification is valid for four years and can be renewed.

Emergency Alerts

Community Alert System - When an emergency happens, keeping the public informed as quickly as possible is a goal of every emergency manager. The Emergency Alert System (EAS), broadcast over commercial radio and television is only one method of communication. Emergency messaging through the National Weather Service via Weather Alert Radio is another effective means of communication.

On the Kenai Peninsula, we also have access to KPB Alerts, an alerting system that automatically calls "land-line" phones within an affected area when activated by authorized representatives of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. If you want to receive alerts on any cell phones, you can voluntarily register that number with the Borough to be included in the phone alert system. Go to https://alerts.kpb.us/ to register your cell phone.  Residents of the Borough are also encouraged to follow KPB Alerts on Facebook and Twitter, as messages sent through the system are automatically posted on those social media platforms.

Ready, Set, GO! (RSG!) is a new local program designed specifically for the Kenai Peninsula to address natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, volcanoes, weather, earthquakes and more. RSG! not only highlights prevention-based topics, but also vital evacuation and re-entry updates during a disaster.

Help spread the word; visit the website at info.kpb.us and be sure to select the “Community Influencers” tab and sign up for KPB Alerts!