Logo courtesy of Sutter County’s Office of Emergency Management

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Sutter County’s Office of Emergency Management held its first community meeting Feb. 4 as part of a countywide update to its Hazard Mitigation Plan, drawing more than a dozen participants both in person and online.

Attendees included representatives from the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, Red Cross, Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health, Yuba-Sutter Transit, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, SAYLove and T-Mobile, among others.

The five-year update process aims to identify and address hazards that could threaten the county and to ensure the community remains eligible for federal mitigation funding and support. Local hazard mitigation plans are designed to reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural and human-caused hazards. Communities must regularly revisit these plans to account for changing risks and priorities.

“We’re really looking at your community and trying to figure out what’s going to impact your community as a whole,” said Casey Garnett, project manager with Innovative Emergency Management. “I know you guys know where the problems are. My team is new here, and we want to hear what everyone knows is a problem that needs to be included in the plan.”

The update process is expected to take approximately 11 months. The meeting lasted nearly two hours and included two surveys designed to gauge participants’ perceptions of hazard risks and priorities. About 28 surveys were completed during the session.

“My biggest concern is not having adequate response mechanisms in place to assist with the relocation of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout our region,” said Rick Millhollin, director of Hands of Hope. “Also, effectively locating and assisting at-risk seniors in personal housing units.”

Flooding, levee and dam failure, wildfire, severe weather and gridlock during evacuations were among the hazards most frequently raised by attendees. Several of those concerns, along with hazardous materials, were added to the community surveys for further evaluation.

“I think it’s a productive conversation, because you’re really looking at your community and figuring out what’s going to impact it as a whole,” said Joseph Harris, hazard mitigation planner with Innovative Emergency Management.

No decisions have been finalized. Officials encouraged interested residents and organizations to participate in the next community meeting, expected to be announced in March.

For more information or to support the planning process, contact Casey Garnettat [email protected].