Researchers Conduct Emergency Management Project along McCarthy Road Corridor

Date:
August 28, 2024
Contact:Jonathan Shafer, (907) 379 0389

Copper Center, Alaska - This August, researchers in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve will begin a multi-year study on emergency management in the McCarthy Road Corridor. Researchers will schedule interviews with some residents to learn about local communities and issues related to emergency management scenarios. The researchers are selecting interviewees based on their background, emergency management experience, and local knowledge.

The team is looking at data and past incidents and applying their knowledge from work elsewhere in the United States to study scenarios that might result from incidents like wildland fire, landslides, or flooding events.

Need to Know in the Neighborhood
If you travel the McCarthy Road in August (until the weekend of Labor Day), you may see researchers collecting data by counting traffic flow or assessing road conditions. This project is different from the Planning Environmental Linkages (PEL) Project which is being managed by another research team.

The study is being conducted by professors and graduate students who specialize in social science and emergency management research at Pennsylvania State University, Oregon State University and University of Vermont.

On Thursday, August 29, some members of the project team will attend the McCarthy Area Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the EMS Hall to share information about this project.

The researchers anticipate completing their work in 2027 and will share a final report with communities along the road corridor and organizations like the Alaska Department of Transportation and National Park Service to inform emergency planning throughout the McCarthy Road Corridor.

For more information, contact Jonathan Shafer, e-mail us, (907) 379-0389.

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