Building Tsunami-Resilient Communities in Humboldt County, California

Humboldt County on California's North Coast is at risk from tsunamis generated locally from faults associated with the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ), other regional fault systems, and from distant sources elsewhere in the Pacific. The Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group (RCTWG), an organization of representatives from government agencies, tribes, service groups, academia and the private sector from the three northern coastal California counties, was formed in 1996 to coordinate and promote tsunami hazard awareness and mitigation. The RCTWG and its member agencies have sponsored a variety of projects including education/outreach products and programs, tsunami hazard mapping, and signage and siren planning. In 2007, Humboldt County was the first region in the country to participate in a tsunami training exercise at FEMA's Emmitsburg training facility and the first area in California to conduct a full-scale tsunami evacuation drill. Two Humboldt County communities were recognized as TsunamiReady by the National Weather Service in 2007. Six assessment surveys from 1993 to 2006 have tracked preparedness actions and personal awareness of earthquake and tsunami hazards in the county.