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Alaska had never experienced a major disaster in a highly populated area before and had very limited resources for dealing with the effects of such an event. In Anchorage, at the urging of geologist [[Lidia Selkregg]], the City of Anchorage and the Alaska State Housing Authority appointed a team of 40 scientists, including geologists, soil scientists, and engineers, to assess the damage done by the earthquake to the city.<ref name=":0a">Friedel, Megan K. (2010). Guide to the Anchorage Engineering Geology Evaluation Group papers, 1964. UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections. HMC-0051. https://archives.consortiumlibrary.org/collections/specialcollections/hmc-0051/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328165246/https://archives.consortiumlibrary.org/collections/specialcollections/hmc-0051/ |date=March 28, 2019 }}</ref> The team, called the Engineering and Geological Evaluation Group, was headed by [[Ruth A. M. Schmidt]], a geology professor at the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]]. The team of scientists came into conflict with local developers and downtown business owners who wanted to immediately rebuild; the scientists wanted to identify future dangers to ensure that the rebuilt infrastructure would be safe.<ref>"Ruth Anne Marie Schmidt Ph.D." [[Alaska Women's Hall of Fame]]. 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.</ref> The team produced a report on May 8, 1964, just a little more than a month after the earthquake.<ref name=":0a" /><ref>Saucier, Heather (April 2014). "PROWESS Honors Historic Earthquake Survivor". [[American Association of Petroleum Geologists]]. Retrieved July 31, 2018.</ref>
Alaska had never experienced a major disaster in a highly populated area before and had very limited resources for dealing with the effects of such an event. In Anchorage, at the urging of geologist [[Lidia Selkregg]], the City of Anchorage and the Alaska State Housing Authority appointed a team of 40 scientists, including geologists, soil scientists, and engineers, to assess the damage done by the earthquake to the city.<ref name=":0a">Friedel, Megan K. (2010). Guide to the Anchorage Engineering Geology Evaluation Group papers, 1964. UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections. HMC-0051. https://archives.consortiumlibrary.org/collections/specialcollections/hmc-0051/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328165246/https://archives.consortiumlibrary.org/collections/specialcollections/hmc-0051/ |date=March 28, 2019 }}</ref> The team, called the Engineering and Geological Evaluation Group, was headed by [[Ruth A. M. Schmidt]], a geology professor at the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]]. The team of scientists came into conflict with local developers and downtown business owners who wanted to immediately rebuild; the scientists wanted to identify future dangers to ensure that the rebuilt infrastructure would be safe.<ref>"Ruth Anne Marie Schmidt Ph.D." [[Alaska Women's Hall of Fame]]. 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.</ref> The team produced a report on May 8, 1964, just a little more than a month after the earthquake.<ref name=":0a" /><ref>Saucier, Heather (April 2014). "PROWESS Honors Historic Earthquake Survivor". [[American Association of Petroleum Geologists]]. Retrieved July 31, 2018.</ref>


The United States military, which has a large active presence in Alaska, also stepped in to assist within moments of the end of the quake. The U.S. Army rapidly re-established communications with the lower 48 states, deployed troops to assist the citizens of Anchorage, and dispatched a convoy to Valdez.<ref name="Hand">Cloe, John Haile [http://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/helping-hand-military-response-to-good-friday-earthquake/ "Helping Hand" Military response to Good Friday earthquake] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027054632/http://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/helping-hand-military-response-to-good-friday-earthquake/ |date=2016-10-27 }} Alaska Historical Society, 3/4/2014</ref> On the advice of military and civilian leaders, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] declared all of Alaska a major disaster area the day after the quake. The U.S. Navy and [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] deployed ships to isolated coastal communities to assist with immediate needs. Bad weather and poor visibility hampered air rescue and observation efforts the day after the quake, but on Sunday the 29th the situation improved and rescue helicopters and observation aircraft were deployed.<ref name="Hand" /> A military airlift immediately began shipping relief supplies to Alaska, eventually delivering {{convert|2,570,000|lbs}} of food and other supplies.<ref name="Galvin" /> Broadcast journalist, [[Genie Chance]], assisted in recovery and relief efforts, staying on the [[KENI]] air waves over Anchorage for more than 24 continuous hours as the voice of calm from her temporary post within the Anchorage Public Safety Building.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=When a Quake Shook Alaska, a Radio Reporter Led the Public Through the Devastating Crisis|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-date=March 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321054507/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/|url-status=live}}</ref> She was effectively designated as the public safety officer by the city's police chief.<ref name=":2" /> Chance provided breaking news of the catastrophic events that continued to develop following the magnitude 9.2 earthquake, and she served as the voice of the public safety office, coordinating response efforts, connecting available resources to needs around the community, disseminating information about shelters and prepared food rations, passing messages of well-being between loved ones, and helping to reunite families.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbaro |first=Michael |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Genie Chance and the Great Alaska Earthquake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html?showTranscript=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102185032/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html?showTranscript=1 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
The United States military, which has a large active presence in Alaska, also stepped in to assist within moments of the end of the quake. The U.S. Army rapidly re-established communications with the lower 48 states, deployed troops to assist the citizens of Anchorage, and dispatched a convoy to Valdez.<ref name="Hand">Cloe, John Haile [http://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/helping-hand-military-response-to-good-friday-earthquake/ "Helping Hand" Military response to Good Friday earthquake] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027054632/http://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/helping-hand-military-response-to-good-friday-earthquake/ |date=2016-10-27 }} Alaska Historical Society, 3/4/2014</ref> On the advice of military and civilian leaders, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared all of Alaska a major disaster area the day after the quake. The U.S. Navy and [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] deployed ships to isolated coastal communities to assist with immediate needs. Bad weather and poor visibility hampered air rescue and observation efforts the day after the quake, but on Sunday the 29th the situation improved and rescue helicopters and observation aircraft were deployed.<ref name="Hand" /> A military airlift immediately began shipping relief supplies to Alaska, eventually delivering {{convert|2,570,000|lbs}} of food and other supplies.<ref name="Galvin" /> Broadcast journalist, [[Genie Chance]], assisted in recovery and relief efforts, staying on the [[KENI]] air waves over Anchorage for more than 24 continuous hours as the voice of calm from her temporary post within the Anchorage Public Safety Building.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=When a Quake Shook Alaska, a Radio Reporter Led the Public Through the Devastating Crisis|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-date=March 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321054507/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/|url-status=live}}</ref> She was effectively designated as the public safety officer by the city's police chief.<ref name=":2" /> Chance provided breaking news of the catastrophic events that continued to develop following the magnitude 9.2 earthquake, and she served as the voice of the public safety office, coordinating response efforts, connecting available resources to needs around the community, disseminating information about shelters and prepared food rations, passing messages of well-being between loved ones, and helping to reunite families.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbaro |first=Michael |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Genie Chance and the Great Alaska Earthquake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html?showTranscript=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102185032/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html?showTranscript=1 |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>


In the longer term, the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] led the effort to rebuild roads, clear debris, and establish new townsites for communities that had been completely destroyed, at a cost of $110 million.<ref name=Galvin>Galvin, John [http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a1967/4219868/ Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami: Alaska, March 1964] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027062138/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a1967/4219868/ |date=2016-10-27 }} ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', 6/29/2007</ref> The [[West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center]] was formed as a direct response to the disaster. Federal disaster relief funds paid for reconstruction as well as financially supporting the devastated infrastructure of Alaska's government, spending hundreds of millions of dollars that helped keep Alaska financially solvent until the discovery of massive oil deposits at [[Prudhoe Bay]]. At the order of the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Defense Department]], the [[Alaska National Guard]] founded the Alaska Division of Emergency Services to respond to any future disasters.<ref name=Hand/>
In the longer term, the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] led the effort to rebuild roads, clear debris, and establish new townsites for communities that had been completely destroyed, at a cost of $110 million.<ref name=Galvin>Galvin, John [http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a1967/4219868/ Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami: Alaska, March 1964] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027062138/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a1967/4219868/ |date=2016-10-27 }} ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', 6/29/2007</ref> The [[West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center]] was formed as a direct response to the disaster. Federal disaster relief funds paid for reconstruction as well as financially supporting the devastated infrastructure of Alaska's government, spending hundreds of millions of dollars that helped keep Alaska financially solvent until the discovery of massive oil deposits at [[Prudhoe Bay]]. At the order of the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Defense Department]], the [[Alaska National Guard]] founded the Alaska Division of Emergency Services to respond to any future disasters.<ref name=Hand/>
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{{See also|Arctic Policy of the United States}}
{{See also|Arctic Policy of the United States}}
[[File:Presidential Vote in Alaska, 1960-2020.svg|thumb|A line graph showing the presidential vote by party from 1960 to 2020 in Alaska]]
[[File:Presidential Vote in Alaska, 1960-2020.svg|thumb|A line graph showing the presidential vote by party from 1960 to 2020 in Alaska]]
Alaska regularly supports [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] in presidential elections and has done so since statehood. Republicans have won the state's [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral college]] votes in all but one election that it has participated in ([[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]). No state has voted for a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential candidate fewer times. Alaska was carried by Democratic nominee [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] during his landslide election in [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]], while the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]] and [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]] elections were close. Since [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]], Republicans have carried the state by large margins. In [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], Republican [[John McCain]] defeated Democrat [[Barack Obama]] in Alaska, 59.49% to 37.83%. McCain's running mate was [[Sarah Palin]], the state's governor and the first Alaskan on a major party ticket. Obama lost Alaska again in [[2012 United States presidential election|2012]], but he captured 40% of the state's vote in that election, making him the first Democrat to do so since 1968. In [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]], [[Joe Biden]] received 42.77% of the vote for president, marking the high point for a Democratic presidential candidate since Johnson's 1964 victory.
Alaska regularly supports [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] in presidential elections and has done so since statehood. Republicans have won the state's [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral college]] votes in all but one election that it has participated in ([[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]). No state has voted for a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential candidate fewer times. Alaska was carried by Democratic nominee Lyndon B. Johnson during his landslide election in [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]], while the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]] and [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]] elections were close. Since [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]], Republicans have carried the state by large margins. In [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], Republican [[John McCain]] defeated Democrat [[Barack Obama]] in Alaska, 59.49% to 37.83%. McCain's running mate was [[Sarah Palin]], the state's governor and the first Alaskan on a major party ticket. Obama lost Alaska again in [[2012 United States presidential election|2012]], but he captured 40% of the state's vote in that election, making him the first Democrat to do so since 1968. In [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]], [[Joe Biden]] received 42.77% of the vote for president, marking the high point for a Democratic presidential candidate since Johnson's 1964 victory.


The [[The Bush (Alaska)|Alaska Bush]], central Juneau, midtown and downtown Anchorage, and the areas surrounding the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] campus and Ester have been strongholds of the Democratic Party. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the majority of Fairbanks (including North Pole and the military base), and South Anchorage typically have the strongest Republican showing.
The [[The Bush (Alaska)|Alaska Bush]], central Juneau, midtown and downtown Anchorage, and the areas surrounding the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] campus and Ester have been strongholds of the Democratic Party. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the majority of Fairbanks (including North Pole and the military base), and South Anchorage typically have the strongest Republican showing.
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