Alaska Legislature approves standardized disaster-evacuation scale for statewide use

Smoke from a wildfire at the entrance area of Denali National Park hovers on June 30, 2024, on the hillsides behind hotels and businesses serving tourists. (Photo provided by National Park Service)

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

The Alaska Legislature has voted to mandate a three-step disaster evacuation scale for use statewide, a move inspired in part by a miscommunication in a wildfire near Denali National Park.

The state House voted 39-1 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 192 and require that state and local officials use the terms “Ready,” “Set,” and “Go,” defined on maps by the colors green, yellow and red, when providing public information about evacuations from the path of a disaster.

People in a “Ready” area should begin packing for an evacuation and preparing their homes or property. Those in a “Set” area should be prepared to leave quickly, and those in a “Go” area should evacuate.

Because the Senate passed the bill 19-0 on April 24, the House’s action sends SB 192 to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for final approval or veto. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski.

The Ready-Set-Go system is already in broad use within Alaska, but not universally. 

Last year, Brenda Ahlberg, emergency manager for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, testified that during a wildfire in the Denali Borough, local officials used green to designate an area that should evacuate immediately.

That caused confusion among affected residents, she said.

Michelle Weston, fire chief in Girdwood, also spoke in support of the bill last year, stating that coordinated evacuation information is particularly important for travelers who may be moving through different parts of Alaska and are unfamiliar with local standards. 

One standard would prevent confusion caused by different rules, she said.

• James Brooks Cascade is a longtime Alaska reporter who lives in Juneau. He previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.