A three-day workshop meant to build disaster preparedness and response in 13 communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta will take place in Bethel from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27.
The Rural Resiliency Workshop is a partnership between the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and regional tribal consortium the Association of Village Council Presidents.
According to a Feb. 13 press release, the state agency said that the workshop will focus on disaster response options, past disasters, shelter options, and rural law enforcement.
The workshop will also include an exercise geared towards coastal storm preparedness and protocol, like the response garnered by Typhoon Merbok in 2022, which impacted all of the 13 communities that will be in attendance. The state will also work with each community to refine their Small Community Emergency Response Plans, which are community-specific guides for the first 72 hours of response after a disaster. As of Feb. 13, the 13 communities that will attend the workshop had not been publicly announced.
Three community members from each of the 13 villages, including one local law enforcement officer, have been invited to attend the event, according to the state. The workshop will also include training for village public safety officers as well as tribal safety officers.
The event is part of a series of workshops conducted by state emergency management officials each year in communities across Alaska. The Rural Resiliency Workshop will return to Bethel in the fall to host a different group of 11 to 13 Y-K Delta communities.
