Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell has declared the 2012 Prince William Sound winter storm a disaster.

Beginning in mid-December 2011 and continuing through January 2012, snowfall in the City of Cordova and the Prince William Sound area put them on a pace to break record seasonal snowfall. Cordova and other communities activated their Incident Management Teams and took actions to ensure the safety of citizens, protect property from damage, and manage snow removal efforts. The City of Cordova declared a disaster on January 6 and requested the state to provide shelter support, emergency management staff, laborers, snow removal equipment, and additional heavy equipment operators.

“The community was simply overwhelmed by repeated snow storms that dumped enormous amounts of snow,” Governor Parnell said. “Fortunately, there were no major injuries and none of the community’s critical buildings sustained major damage. Preventing major damage and keeping emergency access open in the community shows that preparedness saves lives and money.”

The City of Cordova reports damages to 37 homes with most covered by insurance, as well as four residential boats, 12 commercial buildings, 11 city buildings and/or facilities including: the Cordova Medical Center, water and sewer treatment plants, Cordova High School, and the waste disposal building.

The state deployed 57 Alaska National Guard soldiers, multiple teams of emergency management specialists, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities personnel and equipment, and additional heavy equipment and operators to Cordova. Less than 24 hours after receiving Cordova’s Disaster Declaration, all emergency assistance requests were met or were en route to the community.

Governor Parnell’s declaration activates the state’s Public Assistance program. The Public Assistance program is designed to help state, local and tribal governmental entities, as well as certain private non-profit organizations, restore infrastructure damaged by a specific event to pre-disaster conditions.

Source: Office of Governor Parnell