Emergency managers across the Kenai Peninsula are working on patching gaps in the notification network made evident by January’s tsunami threat.
On Jan. 23, many Kenai Peninsula residents got a rude awakening as a 7.9-magnitude earthquake rattled Southcentral Alaska. A few minutes later, most people received a blaring alert warning them of a tsunami. The potential wave mostly posed a threat for low-lying coastal communities, including Seward and Homer, but even residents in Soldotna, Kenai and Kalifornsky received the warning. Some began packing bags, too, said Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management Program Manager Dan Nelson.