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Coast Guard crews returns from Typhoon Merbok response

Coast Guard crews returns from Typhoon Merbok response
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Houvener (center) and Petty Officer 2nd Class Hamilton Cleverdon greet a representative in the community of Diomede, Alaska, Sept. 21, 2022.
Coast Guard Sector Anchorage members deployed to 32 coastal communities that were impacted by Typhoon Merbok to conduct public safety and pollution assessments.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tobias Hofmann.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Coast Guard Sector Anchorage members returned home Monday after response efforts in 32 Arctic and Western Alaska communities following the impacts of Typhoon Merbok. ​

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage used the expeditionary operations deployment model to rapidly send emergency response teams into 32 remote villages to conduct damage assessments to bulk fuel storage facilities and marine headers within seven days of Typhoon Merbok making landfall. While in the field, these teams also identified a pollution concern that required an immediate response.

Chevak was the only community where recoverable pollution was observed and a contracted cleanup was required. Approximately 1,000 gallons of various fuel products were dispersed across a beach from containers ranging from one-gallon jugs to 55-gallon drums. Global Diving and Salvage was contracted to remove oiled debris from the site. Subcontractors with Alaska Chadux Network and locally contracted residents in Chevak assisted with the cleanup, that was almost complete Wednesday.

U.S. Coast Guard teams comprised of facility inspectors and pollution responders were based out of Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue, and deployed to smaller coastal communities from these hubs daily via Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60T Jayhawk Medium-Range Recovery Helicopters, an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and contracted flights. Coast Guard teams conducted public safety and pollution assessments. Fuel storage and transfer facilities were assessed for structural integrity and safe use. Throughout the entire response, the Coast Guard teams maintained communication with the State Emergency Operations Center, FEMA, EPA, and the Department of Environmental Conservation, among others.

Coast Guard crews returns from Typhoon Merbok response
Global Diving and Salvage, Alaska Chadux Network and locally contracted residents in the community of Chevak, Alaska tackle the cleanup of various fuel storage containers Sept. 24, 2022, that floated away during Typhoon Chevak.
The Coast Guard responded in 32 Arctic and Western Alaska communities in the aftermath of the storm.
U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Alaska Chadux Network.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Kodiak conducted an overflight of the affected areas Saturday, providing Coast Guard leaders, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and Alaska politicians an aerial view in the wake of the storm. ​

Capt. Leanne Lusk, commander, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, provided a narrative of Coast Guard response efforts for Adm. Nathan Moore, commander, Coast Guard 17th District, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Congresswoman Mary Peltola, FEMA Administrators Deanne Criswell and Willie Nunn and Bryan Fisher, Director at Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The group landed in Nome and met with local leaders to discuss recovery progress and future assistance. ​

Numerous recently-formed relationships established during the summer months as part of Sector Anchorage’s Marine Safety Task Force (MSTF) missions, allowed the Coast Guard to operate successfully.

“Coast Guard Sector Anchorage personnel conduct year-round operations throughout the Arctic and Western portions of Alaska,” said Lusk. “The success of these operations relies heavily on the relationships with other Federal, Tribal, State, and local partners.”

Coast Guard crews returns from Typhoon Merbok response
Alaska Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Kua Xiong, a services technician with the 176th Force Support Squadron, arrives in Toksook Bay, Alaska, via a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, to assist in debris cleanup as part of Operation Merbok Response, Sept. 24, 2022.
More than 130 members of the Alaska Organized Militia, which includes members of the Alaska National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force and Alaska Naval Militia, were activated following a disaster declaration issued Sept. 17 after the remnants of Typhoon Merbok caused dramatic flooding across more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan coastline.
Alaska National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Balinda O’Neal.

Through consistent presence, Sector Anchorage personnel have gained understanding of at-risk facilities, and partner with other agencies who can provide grants and assistance, like the State of Alaska’s Division of Community and Regional Affairs (DCRA), to provide support to remote villages.

These efforts increase confidence in the communities’ critical infrastructure that provides the fuel to power their generators, heat their homes, and run their vehicles. If a bulk fuel facility experiences a significant breech, the resultant spill could be catastrophic to the communities who depend on the land, rivers, and seas that allow their traditional subsistence-based lifestyles to continue.

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage’s Arctic and Western Alaska operations from 2019-2022 positioned unit personnel to quickly respond to affected communities following Typhoon Merbok’s landfall. ​

FEMA recognized Coast Guard Sector Anchorage’s unique skill set and extensive knowledge of remote Alaska communities, and requested the Coast Guard support their Incident Management Team. Coast Guard members will provide expeditionary emergency response expertise to aid in planning and coordination for FEMA’s individual assistance program for approximately 500 households across the disaster-affected area.

USCG

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