Placer County Resilience Digest

The recent tragedy of an inbound avalanche fatality at Palisades Tahoe is a solemn reminder of the natural disaster possibilities in our region.

California’s utility regulators are exploring energy bill reforms that would structure charges based on household income. If done correctly, the change shift the cost for maintaining the grid to higher earners who can afford it.

Los Angeles County flood control network withstands punishing rains—for now.

The storm fed off of unusually warm waters as it grew. It also reached “bomb cyclone” status as it neared California.

An updated earthquake hazard map from USGS shows a high shaking risk in California.

Hundreds of San Diego homes and businesses were damaged or ruined in devastating floods after punishing rainfall fell on Jan. 22.

Our understanding and preparedness have come a long way since Southern California’s magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1994. We’re still learning from that destructive temblor.

Two-thirds of community college students in California admit to struggling to meet basic needs. The California Community Colleges’ Student Ambassador Program has empowered more than 50 students to act as resource guides to help them.

Prescribed burns, used to limit destructive wildfires, are growing in frequency at California State Parks. But as the smoke drifts into residential areas, it’s easy to see why many Californians are concerned about the health impacts.

The Bureau of Reclamation, which manages federal water such as the Central Valley Project, has a new regional director for the California-Great Basin Region.

An effort spearheaded by the Newsom administration and congressional leaders resulted in Congress authorizing and accelerating the transfer of seven C-130 aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard to CalFire, expanding California’s firefighting fleet.

Tahoe National Forest is now seeking public comment for the Big Jack East: Targeted Grazing Project, which proposes the use of targeted grazing to reduce fuels on up to 2,012 acres of Forest Service lands in northeastern Placer County near Truckee.

2023 has broken climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Much of California could get hit by extreme weather conditions this winter. A major storm is due to hit Northern California this week.

More than 1.5 million acres of forest have been burned or scarred in California. Climbers go high in trees to grab pine cones that could help in reforestation.

Learning for Donner Trail Elementary School students took place in the Sierra Nevada forest on Defensible Space Stewardship Day, as the Truckee Fire Protection District and Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships helped students reduce the threat of wildfires and help community members in need.

Forecasters have struggled to understand why tropical storms sometimes blow up into major hurricanes. Scientists have shed some light on this forecasting challenge.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.

A new study that found human-caused climate warming has increased the frequency of fast-spreading California wildfires has come into question from the unlikeliest of critics—its own lead author.

After California lost over 4 million acres to fire in 2020, the state funded Task Force Rattlesnake, with National Guardsmen to assist Cal Fire.

Summer heatwaves can strain California’s electricity supply, prompting energy emergency notifications to appear across highway signs and social media.

Caldor Fire survivors are taking on the federal government, claiming the U.S. Forest Service failed to protect Grizzly Flats when the Caldor Fire ignited in August of 2021 and destroyed more than 400 of the 600 homes in the mountain community.

As sea levels rise, many countries are considering a controversial strategy: relocation of communities. A Stanford analysis of planned relocations around the world reveals a blueprint for positive outcomes from an approach often considered a last resort.

With fire season officially here, public service agencies gathered at Palisades Tahoe on July 19 to participate in a Tahoe Basin Critical Incident and Fire Preparedness training exercise.

Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has implemented Fire Aside's Defensible Space Evaluation software as part of an expanded commitment to improve residents' wildfire resilience, funded by Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation.

If you live pretty much anywhere in California, you’re familiar with to-do lists that help residents prepare for wildfires. What might be missing from the lists are ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

Winter storm damage is a chance to make the changes to your house you’ve always wanted, but having help to navigate the insurance process can make a big difference.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced that by the end of the year all insurance companies will be mandated to offer a discount to insured members who create defensible defensible space and adhere to guidelines outlined by Firewise USA.

Ranchers in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba counties, along with UC Cooperative Extension and county agricultural departments, have established a program to facilitate livestock and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced that $142.6 million has been awarded, including a chunk for a Placer County project, for statewide investments in fire recovery and forest health projects.

Asphalt pavement formulated with recycled plastic has successfully survived heavy truck traffic and the atmospheric rivers of the winter of 2022-23 after a section of California State Route 99 flooded in January.