Placer County Resilience Digest

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and California Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil will speak at an event in May that will help residents understand new wildfire mitigation, insurance, and home inspection laws.

Readiness to perform public wintertime backcountry rescues is essential for Placer County’s snowy foothills and mountain communities.

The 275,000-acre North Yuba Landscape within California’s Tahoe National Forest is one of the largest contiguous unburned areas in the Sierra Nevada. The Forest Service and a group of eight partners are working to implement a Wildfire Crisis Strategy in the area.

For most Californians, the sight of aircraft spewing neon pink liquid over flaming trees and brush has become a hallmark of aggressive wildfire suppression campaigns. But some forest advocates say the substance does more harm than good. A federal lawsuit could reshape how the U.S. Forest Service battles wildfires throughout the western United States.

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution for another amendment for snow removal services at the Truckee Library, Truckee Government building, and the Joseph Center.

Olympic Valley Fire Department Chief Allen Riley offers a few reminders to help stay safe during this wintery weather.

Placer County officials are advising residents and businesses in snow-affected areas to safely clear their roofs of snow loads as much as possible prior to the anticipated atmospheric river.

Placer County proclaimed a local emergency to deal with the impacts from ongoing winter storms—an assertion of continuing risk to life and property.

Lake Tahoe is in the midst of one of its snowiest seasons ever. A multi-day blizzard dropped more than 10 feet, and another storm has entered the region.

While most locals are hunkered down, 22-year-old Tony Gallardo is running into the blizzard with his “little Jeep that could.”

Late at night a cell phone lights up, its ring alerts one of several volunteers from Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue—a lost skier is in need of help.

Pioneer Community Energy, a community choice aggregator serving 156,000 accounts in the counties of Placer and El Dorado, has issued its first-ever municipal non-recourse Clean Energy Project Revenue Bonds through the California Community Choice Financing Authority.

Moonshine Ink looks at how snowplows keep roads passable, and the hurdles local jurisdictions are facing amid staffing and equipment shortages.

When external factors cause a power outage, there are often calls to underground power lines. While undergrounding may seem logical, there is more to consider.

The Colfax City Council approved the introduction of an ordinance that establishes an expedited process for the permitting process of electric vehicle charging station applications.

Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the U.S., according to FEMA, and mountain communities are at heightened risk.

Steve Leighton, fire chief for Meeks Bay and North Tahoe fire protection districts, says the best way to stay safe is to plan and be prepared before a weather event arrives.

The Sacramento region continues to be battered by a historic string of storms, bringing destruction and power outages. More than 599,000 customers have experienced power outages and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District has restored power to 98 percent.

When the power goes out, especially for prolonged periods of time, being prepared can help you reduce anxiety and stay safe.

In 2004, Bob Moore put together the concept of the Sierra Avalanche Center and enlisted a volunteer to help with winter forecasting duties. It became officially stamped as a nonprofit in the 2003/04 season. Next year will be its 20th anniversary.

Following years of research and analysis of current fire trends, Cal Fire will update its map of fire hazard severity zones that ranks rural and unincorporated areas based on anticipated risk of wildfires.

Cell phones buzzed 10 seconds ahead of shaking in Northern California.

Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s Board of Directors held the first in a series of workshops to explore the dynamic regulatory and market environments the TDPUD operates within.

The Olympic Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan was approved of by the district and will now be reviewed by Cal Fire, USDA Forest Service, Firewise USA and the Placer County Board of Supervisors.

The Nevada County Office of Emergency Services is seeking community feedback on improving the current Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance.  All residents, property owners, and renters of unincorporated Nevada County are encouraged to share their thoughts.

On Election Day, a tornado with wind gusts of up to 70 mph touched down in a rural area of Sacramento County near Galt. The Bee looks at how common tornadoes are in California, what causes them and how dangerous they can be.

The California Tahoe Conservancy has awarded two grants to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Bureau of Reclamation contracts goats to devour brush in Auburn State Recreation Area; prevention work will extend for years, but no trail closures anticipated.

Scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno, are using a variety of new technologies with massive amounts of data and computational power to model and map fire-vulnerable forest vegetation across millions of acres in California.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, trying to ease an insurance crisis that’s hurt rural California, has announced that all carriers active in fire-prone communities must incorporate his “Safer from Wildfires” program into their premiums.

According to the first in a series of reports to come from a consulting firm hired by California officials, PG&E’s efforts to improve wildfire safety are hindered by aging equipment, damaged power poles and hazardous trees that went undetected by the utility’s crews.

The U.S. Forest Service has signed an MOU for a public-private partnership to increase forest management in the Middle Truckee River Watershed. The partnership includes the National Forest Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Truckee Meadows Water Authority and Truckee River Watershed Council.