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Santa Cruz County Resilience Overview



California Local Pin Marker Get To Know A Group

A national group, RedRover helps families in crisis keep their pets, and also provide emergency sheltering assistance for animals displaced by natural disasters and rescued from hazardous situations.

California Local Pin Marker Local Resilience Digest

Moss Landing Battery Plant Fire Report

01/16/2025

Read on to learn more about the fire which broke out on January 16 at a battery storage plant located on the grounds of the Moss Landing power station.

LA Wildfires Could Clobber California Economy as State Recovers From a Pandemic Recession

01/15/2025

Three days after immensely destructive and deadly wildfires broke out in and around Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $322.3 billion state budget with a positive revenue forecast “based on an assumption of continued but slowing economic growth.”

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Moss Landing Fire Update: Battling Battery Fires Difficult

Monterey County officials say that the fire that erupted at the Moss Landing Power Plant Thursday night was difficult to fight because it was centered on a bank of Tesla batteries.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Massive Blaze Erupts at Moss Landing Power Plant

A huge fire broke out inside a building at the Moss Landing Power Plant Thursday, forcing emergency crews to evacuate areas around Moss Landing and close the heavily traveled Highway 1 in both directions for hours.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
As Los Angeles Burns, Santa Cruz County Officials Urge Wildfire Prep — And Not Just in the Mountains

The CZU Lightning Complex Fire burn scar in Santa Cruz County in 2020. (NASA)
SANTA CRUZ >> As wildfires rage in Southern California, Santa Cruz County officials are urging residents to prepare for the possibility of a destructive wildfire here …

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
The Scientific Benefits of Prescribed Fire and Forest Stewardship

By Barbara Satink Wolfson, David Benterou, and Jared Childress

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.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Decades of Santa Cruz Wharf Repair Backlog Contributed to Vulnerability

A decision to rebuild the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is not expected for months, after detailed engineering work is done. (Tom Gigliotti)
Key takeaways

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
State Money Sought for $45 Million in Damage to Santa Cruz Wharf, Harbor

The end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is fenced off Dec. 24, a day after large surf tore off an area under repair. (Tom Gigliotti)
SANTA CRUZ >> The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is expected to decide …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz Wharf Reopens

About 150 people attended a brief ceremony Saturday morning hosted by Santa Cruz City officials to kick open the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf after it was closed Dec. 23 due to heavy surf damage.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Happy New Year From the Immortal Ginko

An inspirational creature card with a message of ‘fortitude, endurance, and badassness.’

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Supervisors Declare Local Emergency, County Estimates $25M+ in Damages

In a brief special meeting on Dec. 27, three Santa Cruz County Supervisors declared a local emergency, which will allow officials to request state and federal assistance for the damages from the heavy surf, winds and storm surge on Dec. …

Featured

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.
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.
How Not to Feel the Burn
These groups help residents preserve their property, health and life.
Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era
As climate change causes more extreme and unusual weather, we need a new set of terms to describe the various phenomena
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 easy—the hard part comes later.
Feeling blocked? These mental health organizations can help.
Finding Piece of Mind
Find help from these websites, telephone hotlines and organizations
From the coast to the mountains, Santa Cruz County’s landscape has given way to human development. But residents can make all parts of the region more hospitable to native species.
Backyard Ecology
No matter where you live, you can help native flora and fauna.
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
Wildfires are larger, more frequent, and more ferocious—so be prepared.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork
With CERT training, ordinary civilians can play critical roles in protecting their communities.
Members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service hone their skills at various local events.
Listening Skills
With the CZU fires in mind, volunteers in the Santa Cruz Mountains are taking emergency communications into their own hands.
Workers clean up after flooding in Capitola Village.
Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps
Keep these online resources handy in case of floods, fires, quakes and other disasters
View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis
Recent lessons learned over days of local disaster.
Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think
Recent torrential rains have helped, but California's drought is a long way from over.
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.
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?
Increasingly extreme weather events are already testing California’s preparedness.
Working together with many volunteers, this crew feeds 65,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.
California’s Oldest Food Bank Pays It Forward
California’s first food bank has helped residents of Santa Cruz County for more than 50 years.
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