San Benito County Local News: Resilience


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

Image caption: Highway 25 is one of the few major roads in San Benito County. When disaster strikes, you’re going to want to know what’s up with traffic.
Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps

When disaster strikes, you’ll need to have these information resources available 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: 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: 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: 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

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: 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.

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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.

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.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

04/19/2024
A park-wide project to address road repair needs will take place in the spring and summer.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/18/2024
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/11/2024
A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

California Local Pin Marker From SF Gate...

04/02/2024
It quickly became clear that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was responsible for the show. The lights were a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 new Starlink satellites into orbit. The rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:30 p.m., and it’s trail was visible from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

03/26/2024
Image for display with article titled Yes, Beavers Can Help Stop Wildfires. And More Places in California Are Embracing Them

Beavers create unburned islands where plants and animals can shelter from megafires, research has confirmed. A movement is afoot to reintroduce the rodents to the state's waterways.

California Local Pin Marker From Benito Link...

03/19/2024
The Uplift Central Coast Coalition which works to attract investment and expand opportunities for Central Coast residents has been awarded $14 million from the California Regional Investment Initiative of the California Jobs First program.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

03/02/2024
A tornado stuck Kings county briefly, and another touched down in Madera county, as favorable conditions came together during a powerful winter storm which swept the region.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

02/26/2024
State officials determined that Rancho Palos Verdes can utilize an already-established state of emergency to expedite landslide stabilization efforts as the crisis escalates.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/06/2024
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.

SanBenitocom logo From SanBenitocom...

02/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Thousands in SBC Could Lose Assistance for High-Speed Internet

Unless Congress steps in to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal program that provides internet access to low-income families, over 23 million households will be cut off by April.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

02/05/2024
The storm fed off of unusually warm waters as it grew. It also reached “bomb cyclone” status as it neared California.

SanBenitocom logo From SanBenitocom...

01/26/2024
Image for display with article titled New Reporting Tool Helps San Benito County Curb Illegal Dumping

The county is addressing the issue of illegal dumping with new initiatives for 2024, including a new online reporting tool to pinpoint illegal dumping sites.

The county has also raised its dumping fines to up to $10,000, the highest possible in the state of California.

California Local Pin Marker From SF Gate...

01/24/2024
An updated earthquake hazard map from USGS shows a high shaking risk in California.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/23/2024
Hundreds of San Diego homes and businesses were damaged or ruined in devastating floods after punishing rainfall fell on Jan. 22.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/22/2024
As the FAIR Plan writes more fire-insurance policies, homeowners complain about poor service, rising costs and threats of getting kicked off.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/16/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From Edible Monterey Bay...

01/10/2024
Like the redwoods that survived the devastating CZU fire of 2020, the McHenry family is resilient. That fateful August conflagration ruined a promising crop at Beauregard Vineyards.

California Local Pin Marker From EdSource...

01/03/2024
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.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

12/26/2023
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.
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