April 1, 2020: The City of Bethel partially activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 11 am today in response to preparations to prevent and minimize illness and death caused by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The City’s EOC will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, which is a Level 2 or partial activation. The Resource Room in City Hall will serve as the initial location for the EOC. City Hall is located at 300 State Highway in Bethel, Alaska.
Acting City Manager Bill Howell is serving as the Incident Commander until next week when Vinny Corazza assumes the role as City Manager and Incident Commander. Daron Solesbee, Acting Fire Chief, is currently the Operations Chief.
The EOC is busy documenting the crisis response, developing an inventory of hotel capacity for possible use as shelters, drafting and disseminating information, and educating City staff on their roles in the Incident Command System. Currently, the City is responsible for the following crucial services associated with Covid-19: Emergency medical service, fire, police, and continuity of City government.
