Yuba County residents listen to a moderated flood-preparedness panel Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Five30 Event Center in Marysville. The discussion, led by superintendent Rob Gregor of the Yuba County Office of Education, featured officials from the Yuba Water Agency, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, Reclamation District 784 and the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services, highlighting levee improvements, dam safety and personal evacuation readiness. Photo courtesy of Yuba County Sheriff’s Department

 

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Yuba County residents gathered Wednesday, Oct. 29 for the Flood Risk Awareness & Preparedness Town Hall, a free public safety event hosted at the Five30 Event Center in Marysville and streamed on Facebook Live.

The two-and-a-half hour event featured interactive displays beginning at 5 p.m. and a moderated panel from 6-7:30 p.m. Officials from the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services, Yuba Water Agency, Yuba County Sheriff's Department and Reclamation District 784 spoke on completed levee upgrades, dam safety, emergency tools and the math behind flood probabilities.

The panel was moderated by Rob Gregor of the Yuba County Office of Education, with panelists including Oscar Marin, Sheriff Wendell Anderson, John James, Ryan McNally and Patrick Meagher. A key focus of the evening was progress versus realism. While speakers emphasized recent infrastructure successes, they noted flood risk is deeply historic. Marysville — like much of Yuba County — inherited long-term riverbed changes dating back to the Gold Rush era, when hydraulic mining debris inundated large portions of the region, raised riverbeds, and spurred decades of levee construction, reinforcement and modernization.

“It’s all going today, it’s something that we have to contend with and a lot of our infrastructure projects take that into account,” said McNally of the Yuba Water Agency.

McNally also walked attendees through what “200-year levee” actually means — a frequent public misconception. “It does not mean that it will only occur once every one hundred years,” explained McNally. “It is the percentage of probability that (a flood) could occur in any given year.”

To illustrate probability versus assumption, McNally conducted a wheel-spin experiment at arrival. With fewer than 100 guests present, a “100-year flood” landed twice — underscoring that probability does not guarantee spacing or rarity in real life.

Other panel remarks highlighted long-range monitoring and communications readiness. John James noted that the Yuba Water Agency tracks weather patterns, reservoir levels and snowpack weeks in advance to prepare alert systems and notifications ahead of potential flood events.

Beyond history and infrastructure, the second half of the presentation shifted toward personal preparedness — go bags, evacuation foresight and public engagement. Participants explored hands-on displays, assembled sample emergency kits, spoke directly with subject matter experts, reviewed flood safety videos, and discussed what residents can do now even as risk levels evolve.

For more information on emergency preparedness services visit yuba.gov/departments/emergency_services/index.php