Craig Mayor's Statement on City of Craig COVID-19 Response, April 4, 2020
These are trying times, new to us all. For years we have been conducting monthly LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) meetings, and today we find ourselves dealing with a situation we never expected. Still, through our planning effort we have stockpiled supplies and developed many emergency partners statewide. We began planning for this mid-February, as our long-awaited EMS Symposium and our Island wide Hazmat Ammonia Class was canceled. We knew we had put all other projects aside, to prepare for the potential occurrence of COVID- 19 right here on POW. We followed federal and state mandates closely and as they made recommendations, we adapted our city practices. Nearly 6 weeks ago, our FIRE & EMS Department began preparing for the potential pandemic by offering PPE training with island volunteers. Early in March the city staff began following the state recommendations to minimize travel and social distancing. On March 15th the City of Craig stood up the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and began assisting each department with key mandates put out by state. Since that time, the EOC along with other community partners like Public Health, Craig School District, Fire & EMS Department, Local PD, ARMC Clinic Manager, & Peace Health Clinic Manager have met several times a week to ensure we are preparing for this event and working towards lessoning its severity. We went through the Craig Emergency Conex to inventory what supplies might be useful in this situation. Alaska Marine Lines assisted in helping us bring what’s called the MMRS supply Conex to a staging area near the clinics so the MMRS team could inventory the belongings and begin dispersing supplies to all EMS teams, medical clinics and potential high contact areas. We are fortunate to have these medical supplies available to all island residents including the MMRS hospital tent, which contains an HVAC system
On March 23, 2020, the city closed public facilities to the public, and the following night, through an emergency Council Meeting we finalized the disaster declaration and resolution advising Craig citizens to Stay in place/Shelter in place. Since that time, we have had new mandates nearly daily involving every essential service including maritime. We have requested all travelers to POW self-quarantine and all vessels from out of state or infected areas do the same or leave our harbors. We conduct countless meetings between departments and levels of government. Most updates can be found on the city website and staff is always available by phone to answer questions.
Thank you for your cooperation, help and understanding,
Mayor Tim O’Connor
