Redwood Empire News

Emergency management professionals gathered in Blue Lake this week for DisasterCon, an annual two-day event focused on emergency preparedness. The event, previously known as TsunamiCon, centers on the impacts Humboldt County could face during significant disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

This year’s DisasterCon marked the 60th anniversary of the Christmas Flood of 1964 and the 1964 tsunami in Crescent City. Nearly 60 individuals from various local, regional, state, tribal, and federal agencies attended. The event was hosted by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Blue Lake Rancheria. Featured speakers included representatives from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), National Weather Service, California Department of Water Resources, Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Caltrans, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay, Humboldt CERT Coalition, Redwood Coast Tsunami Workgroup and California Geological Survey.

Presentation topics covered a historical overview of the catastrophic 1964 floods in Humboldt County, flood response then vs. now, evolution in emergency shelter considerations since 1964, modern-day volunteerism compared to the Civil Defense era and an overview of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake which caused a devastating tsunami that impacted Crescent City.

All presentations addressed past and current challenges related to emergency response and recovery in Humboldt County. Despite improvements since 1964 in barriers related to emergency response some challenges remain. These include potential loss of communications infrastructure and road and bridge failures which could isolate the county during a catastrophic flood major storm earthquake or tsunami event.

Participants also attended a half-day workshop focused on updating the California Catastrophic Incident Base Plan (CIBP). This plan outlines how state and federal officials will coordinate responses to all types of catastrophic disasters. The collaborative session allowed attendees to provide insights on a statewide plan spreading awareness about systems terms and functions used during major incidents.

"Building relationships with our partners before an emergency is key," said Humboldt County OES Emergency Manager Ryan Derby. "Coming together to learn from each other helps us understand our partners’ disaster response capabilities and address gaps."

Derby added: "While we know flooding earthquakes and tsunami events are inevitable on the north coast actions we take now to prepare and work with our public safety partners will help make Humboldt safer and more resilient.”

Individuals families neighborhoods businesses and government officials are encouraged to work together to prepare for disasters reducing their devastating effects. For tips visit ready.gov.

Humboldt County residents are urged to sign up for Humboldt Alert for local emergency notifications including evacuation information by visiting humboldtgov.org/alert.

For more information on local emergencies resources for preparation visit humboldtsheriff.org/emergency follow @HumCoOES on Facebook and X or call 707-268-2500.

This year’s DisasterCon centered around past emergencies with lessons learned for future planning.