A legislative committee plans to hold a hearing Monday focusing on state emergency response systems and disaster readiness plans.

This follows recent storms that affected Southcentral and Interior Alaska, causing damage and leaving many residents without power.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee, which is holding the hearing. He says extreme weather in Alaska is unavoidable and the response to disasters is important. He says in a news release that an objective of Monday's hearing is to get the major players together to assess the storm response so far and look at ways to improve in the future. Testimony is expected from city and state officials, as well as from utilities. The committee also plans to take public testimony.