In the wake of recent tsunami warnings across Coastal Alaska, and especially here in Unalaska, where over half of the city's tsunami sirens aren't functioning, emergency preparedness has been on the minds of many Alaskans.
And while many people became amateur preppers—hoarding rolls of toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, and rice—as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, much of that "prep" work appears trivial when juxtaposed to losing running water, electricity, and shelter.
Patrick Shipp, Unalaska's fire chief and a former responder with a Texas emergency response team, says even the most simple of reactions and plans can go amiss during emergencies—when our minds and bodies go into shock.
"One thing I've learned throughout my 30 years of this is every well-thought-out plan is good until the first shot is fired, and then it's going back to memory," said Shipp.