HB 35-MARCH 27: GREAT ALASKA EARTHQUAKE DAY
9:01:39 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE announced the consideration of HB 35. [CSHB
35(STA) was before the committee.]
9:01:48 AM
JEFF TURNER, Staff, Representative Charisse Millet, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced HB 35 reading from the
following sponsor statement:
On March 27, 1964, Southcentral Alaska was torn apart
as many of you know by a 9.2 magnitude earthquake; it
devastated 50,000 square miles of Southcentral Alaska,
leveled entire communities, and trigged massive
tsunamis that brought even more devastation to coastal
areas.
What HB 35 does is recognize a great disaster and how
it brought out the best of all Alaskans by
establishing March 27 as Great Alaska Good Friday
Earthquake Remembrance Day. The purpose of the bill is
not to highlight the quake necessarily, but to honor
the thousands of Alaskans who put the needs of others
before their own needs: first responders, medical
personnel, the Alaska Army and Air National Guard, the
U.S. Core of Engineers, government employees, even ham
radio operators were joined by everyday Alaskans to
conduct search and rescue operations, provide medical
care, food, shelter, and the restoration of vital
infrastructure and services; it was their selfless
determination that saved unknown numbers of lives and
rebuilt Southcentral communities before the return of
winter.
The 1964 earthquake was also a watershed moment in the
fields of geology, earth science, and more; it was a
big part of what led to the creation of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA, in
1979.
This legislation means communities and civic groups
can hold ceremonies around the state to mark a day
that changed state history and it also directs the
Governor to issue an annual proclamation commemorating
Great Alaska Good Friday Earthquake Remembrance Day
and to fly the state flag at half-mast; it also
reminds Alaskans about the importance of building and
designing safer structures, which a couple of our
invited testifiers can speak to today. Representative
Millet respectively asks for the committee's support
for the legislation.
9:04:35 AM
STEVE S. MASTERMAN, Director, Division of Geological &
Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Department of Resources, Fairbanks,
Alaska, announced that the division supports HB 35. He said the
Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys feels it is
important to remember those people who gave their lives in the
Great Alaska Earthquake disaster. He added that having a day on
the calendar to remind people of the significance and danger of
earthquakes in Alaska was important as well. He noted that the
Remembrance Day calls attention to a need to build
infrastructures and buildings that withstand the potential
effects of a future earthquake as well as designing and planning
Alaska communities to be resilient to earthquakes and tsunamis.
9:06:04 AM
CHUCK VOLANTI, representing himself, Olympia, Washington,
recalled the events on the day of the earthquake in 1964 when on
duty for the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage. He noted that
as devastating and ravaging as the earthquake and tsunamis were,
the cornerstone remains the people of Alaska and how they
rallied together without hesitation. He said first-responders
from all walks of life came together and formed the largest
humanitarian relief contingent in state history. He summarized
that what Alaskans of today enjoy is because they stand on the
shoulders of those giants of the past; their selfless sacrifice
paid honor to the future and now it is up to Alaskans to pay
honor to those of the past.
9:06:43 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE joined the committee meeting.
9:09:26 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE thanked Mr. Volanti for his diligence and efforts
in helping memorize the event.
9:10:17 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE closed public testimony.
9:10:35 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE moved to report the CS for HB 35 from committee
with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note.
9:10:49 AM
CHAIR STOLTZE announced that hearing no objection, CSHB 35(STA)
moved out of committee.