Monterey County Local News: Resilience


All Local Resilience News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, says the organization researches areas of need to help donors direct their contributions.
What Is a Community Foundation?

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

Image caption: A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Image caption: Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire

California wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more ferocious. ‘Malibu Burning’ author Robert Kerbeck shares simple steps you can take to protect your home.

Image caption: Flooding on the Salinas River in 2023 brought economic hardship to farmers and snarled traffic.
Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps

Whether you’re on the Monterey Peninsula, in the Salinas Valley or Big Sur, keep these information resources handy on your smartphone.

Image caption: The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
Is California Ready for More Extreme Weather Driven by Climate Change?

This year, a series of extreme events in California and around the country have wreaked havoc, driven by climate change. How prepared are we for things to get worse?

Image caption: Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think

2023’s torrential rainstorms have eased California's drought conditions. But there’s a lot more to drought than the amount of rain, and this drought isn't over yet.

Image caption: With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork

Fires, floods, earthquakes—California’s got it all. And CERT volunteers are ready to step in.

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

Image caption: Though it’s the most famous, the San Andreas Fault is just one of more than 500 active faults in California.
Battening Down for the Big One

Making it through the earthquake is the easy part. The hard part is surviving in the chaos that follows.

Image caption: Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era

The climate change era has created a whole new set of terms for a wide variety of storms and other weather phenomena. Here are some of the most important.

Image caption:
How Not to Feel the Burn

California residents can turn to these public and private entities to help prepare for wildfires and protect their property.

California Local Pin Marker From The Union...

05/13/2025
In a presentation to Nevada County supervisors, a CalFire fire chief said the three or four month fire season of the past was now "passe" as his department is making staffing plans for a 12-month fire season.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

05/09/2025
A conversation with State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant about the new fire hazard maps and how local communities are preparing for widfires.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

05/07/2025
Image for display with article titled U.S. Forest Service Proposes a Wildfire Risk Reduction Project in Los Padres, Including Big Sur.

The draft plan addresses areas in four ranger districts of Los Padres National Forest, including the Monterey District (above) and to the south, the Santa Lucia, Mt. Pinos and Santa Barbara districts.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/06/2025
As the Los Angeles fires raged in January, about 1,000 inmate firefighters labored on hand crews alongside professional firefighters battling the blazes.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

04/24/2025
In an April 24 press conference. CalFire unveiled the latest addition to their fleet of firefighting aircraft, a new C-130 Hercules.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

04/16/2025
Image for display with article titled County Water Resources Agency Gets Funding to Study Flood Mitigation Efforts Along Carmel River.

Those who live along tributaries are, for the most part, well aware that the beauty of living beside running water can come at a cost. It was a point underscored by those who attended a flood project meeting on March 27, many of whom are all too familiar with how quickly the Carmel River can transform.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/14/2025
Six conservancies throughout the state will oversee work largely in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/10/2025
After a three day hearing this week, State Farm is one step closer to approval for a rate hike on its California customers.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/09/2025
California’s Public Advocate has been pressing for new utility fire maps since 2023. Utilities are on board — but regulators turned them down.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

04/02/2025
Image for display with article titled Cal Fire Plans Multi-Week Prescribed Burn for South Monterey County

Conditions and weather permitting, Cal Fire plans to conduct a multi-week pile burning on Westside Fuel Break of Southern Monterey County starting March 31.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/28/2025
At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is far better than last year. But it’s nothing like the record-smashing 2023.

California Local Pin Marker From The Union...

03/27/2025
Applications are open for $43 million in PG&E grant funding to develop microgrids in vulnerable communities in central and southern California.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

03/19/2025
Image for display with article titled Local Promotores Trained on Climate Change Impacts Are Now Teaching Fellow Farmworkers.

Farmworkers are especially vulnerable to climate change. They work in the fields through different weather conditions, from extreme heat to cold, and are potentially exposed to air pollution and pesticides.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

03/19/2025
Image for display with article titled King City Council Approves Riverbed Wildfire Prevention Plan

King City Council has approved the Riverbed Wildfire Prevention Plan, along with its associated Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program — a significant step toward bolstering wildfire safety in the region.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

03/19/2025
Read on for an update in the cleanup and testing for health risk following the January 16 fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/18/2025
Evacuating the Tahoe basin in summer could take 14 hours, and 99% of properties are at risk — yet new resorts are being built in high-danger fire areas.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

03/14/2025
Image for display with article titled Westside Fuel Break Progress Continues in South Monterey County

The Westside Fuel Break in South Monterey County is making significant progress, announced Cal Fire BEU on March 5.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/14/2025
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said today he will grant State Farm’s request to raise home insurance premiums by 22% on average if the company agrees to certain conditions — and wins approval at a public rate hearing next month.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/14/2025
To cover a budget gap in Medi-Cal — which provides health insurance for roughly 15 million disabled and low-income Californians — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is borrowing $3.4 billion from the state’s general fund.