Kenai Peninsula Borough
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
253 Wilson Lane
Soldotna, AK  99669
907-262-4910 Phone
907-714-2395 Fax
Members

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Local Emergency Planning Committee is to prepare emergency response plans for all hazards, whether natural or manmade, occurring in the community; and to establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information generated by SARA Title III reporting requirements.

THE KPB LEPD

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Local Emergency Planning District (LEPD) is located in Southcentral Alaska.  See map here.  The LEPD has a population of approximately 50,000 increasing to 150,000 during the summer tourist season.  The Kenai Peninsula Borough's economy is diverse with fishing, tourism, government, transportation, retail and the petrochemical industry.  Major communities include Homer, Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna and Seward.  These communities are connected by a state-maintained, paved two-lane highway system leading to Anchorage.  There are numerous communities, such as Seldovia, that are located within the borough, but are not part of the road system.  These communities also fall under the borough's and LEPD's planning responsibility.

Hazard Analysis:  HIGH RISK

The borough has conducted a hazard vulnerability analysis that has identified the following hazards:  earthquake, volcano, energy shortage, tsunami, fire, weather extremes, hazmat, flood, transportation accident and terrorism.

The LEPD covers approximately 25,000 square miles, approximately the same size as Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire combined (about half the size of the state of Washington).  Much of the planning district is largely uninhabited.  Fjord-like estuaries characterize large stretches of shoreline and a large percentage of the coastal areas are highly mountainous.  Marshes are found in the northern portion of the planning district.  Though much of the district is relatively pristine, offshore platforms, shoreline refineries, and oil and hazardous substance transportation routes (by water, rail, highway and pipeline) serve to threaten the generally high environmental quality of the area.  The numerous industries make up a diverse economy that is particularly vulnerable to technological disaster.

The weather in Cook Inlet regularly generates storms with winds up to 100 knots and waves of 35 feet.  The tidal currents can exceed six knots.  There are ice flows in the winter that can completely close Upper Cook Inlet to vessel traffic.

Cook Inlet is dotted by 16 offshore oil/gas drilling platforms.  In addition there is an oil refinery, and the only LNG producing plant in the North American continent.  Also present are fish processing plants that can have present large quantities of ammonia, gasoline, diesel, and propane.  The Nikiski area receives and ships the largest quantities of petroleum products, and in fact the greatest tonnage of waterborne trade, in Southcentral Alaska.