Homer Mayor Rachel Lord’s declaration of local emergency, issued on Nov. 17 following the recent storm surge that caused significant damage to the Homer Spit, has been extended by the Homer City Council until Jan. 14.

The council passed Resolution 24-125 at their last regular meeting on Nov. 25, citing in the resolution the “current and expected impacts” of the Nov. 16 storm surge and coastal erosion event on the Spit.

Lord’s original declaration activated the City of Homer’s emergency response plan and requested disaster assistance from the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the State of Alaska. Resolution 24-125 reiterates this request, additionally asking for federal assistance in the initial emergency response phase and recovery phase, given the potential for similar events with 20-plus-foot high tides and strong westerly winds expected in mid-December and late January to early February.

Resolution 24-125 was also filed with the borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The council also passed Resolution 24-126 last Monday, requesting that the borough and the state issue their own disaster declarations for the Homer Spit in order to “enable the mobilization of resources and support necessary to address the ongoing emergency and mitigate future risks…. and to request additional assistance from the federal government.”

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, spoke with the council on the Spit emergency response during the meeting. She previously on Nov. 19 submitted a formal request to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office for a disaster declaration for the lower Kenai Peninsula.

“I’m doing whatever I can to be in coordination,” she said, adding that she also provided a copy of her request for a state disaster declaration to the Alaska DHSEM.

In the face of the expected mid-December high tides and possible storm surges, Vance said that the Alaska Department of Transportation is “looking at the potential” of storing rock and gravel in Homer “so it can be dispersed” in the event of future storms and coastal erosion.

Vance acknowledged that the City of Homer has “done a lot of work … for quite some time” in coordinating with the state on protection of the Spit and properties located on the Spit.

“What I’ve been asked to convey to you is to reassess some of the priorities,” she said. “This emergency came sooner than we thought. So I look forward to … assisting however I can in whatever you need me to help with. I want to be sure to do that, and really emphasize to the governor’s office that this is no small thing.”

Vance also noted that the damage caused by the Nov. 16 storm surge extends beyond the Homer Spit — the Anchor Point beach, Deep Creek and the Ninilchik Harbor Road were also adversely affected. Ninilchik Harbor Road was immediately shut down following the storm surge and won’t be able to be repaired until spring, Vance said.

“Although the Spit took the largest brunt of (the storm), it is affecting our district all the way up to Ninilchik,” she said. “With all of that combined, I believe that it makes a strong request for the state to issue a disaster and hopefully request federal assistance.”

According to Vance, the purpose of the disaster declaration is to highlight the significance of the damage and emphasize that federal funding is needed. She also said that there is potential, should federal funding become available, that it could “open up opportunities” for further repairs on the Spit that state funds are otherwise limited to do.

Finally, she noted that disaster declarations “take some time,” and she will update the city upon receiving a response from the governor’s office.

Lord connected the disaster declaration with protecting the private and municipal property located on the Homer Spit.

“The message that I’ve heard from DOT is really that the road is their mandate, and we’ve been asking for years, ‘Can we do something before we take out all of the public and private land before the road?’ And they’ve said no,” she said. “In my mind, that’s a really big part of the disaster declaration and working with the governor and with our congressional delegation to really elevate the urgency of the situation.”

Find Resolution 24-125 and Resolution 24-126 in full at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-325.