Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Sheriff Honsal Declares Local Emergency Due to Winter Storms
Posted By Kimberly Wear @kimberly_wear on Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 11:37 AM
With recent storms wreaking havoc across the region and more winter weather on the way, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal has declared a local emergency, which allows the county to apply for state and federal funds to address the damage and other impacts.
“Consecutive major winter storms have resulted in a large accumulation of snow, impassible roadways, downed trees, disrupted utility services, damaged and flooded roadways, mudslides, damaged structures and dead livestock; these impacts exhausting and exceeding available county resources,” a news release on the declaration states.
Another storm system is forecast to hit Thursday and Friday, bringing "stronger winds, heavy rains, and higher snow levels to the region through the weekend," according to the Eureka office of the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow and downed trees or powerlines blocked all of the routes into and out of the county at one point, in some cases several times, in the last few weeks.
Those conditions have strained county resources, with the sheriff's office urging residents to take a pause on trips inland to see the snow after having to make several rescues, which impinged on deputies' abilities to respond to storm-related emergencies, conduct welfare checks and bring needed supplies to those snowed into their homes.
Honsal told the Journal previously that his deputies have been very busy, doing welfare checks on people stuck in their homes and responding to other weather related emergencies. Frustratingly, though, he said some have added to the department's burden by traveling needlessly, whether taking a "scenic" drive over Bald Hills Road only to end up stuck or heading to higher elevations to sled or recreate. Honsal said the department's Snowcat vehicle has been busy. He urged people who can to stay home.
"We just want people to be safe and stay home and not put themselves in a situation to be rescued," he said.
In addition, the HCSO was one of several agencies that came together to coordinate an emergency air-drop of hay to feed hungry herds left starving in inaccessible areas of snow-covered ranches.
“Consecutive major winter storms have resulted in a large accumulation of snow, impassible roadways, downed trees, disrupted utility services, damaged and flooded roadways, mudslides, damaged structures and dead livestock; these impacts exhausting and exceeding available county resources,” a news release on the declaration states.
Another storm system is forecast to hit Thursday and Friday, bringing "stronger winds, heavy rains, and higher snow levels to the region through the weekend," according to the Eureka office of the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow and downed trees or powerlines blocked all of the routes into and out of the county at one point, in some cases several times, in the last few weeks.
Those conditions have strained county resources, with the sheriff's office urging residents to take a pause on trips inland to see the snow after having to make several rescues, which impinged on deputies' abilities to respond to storm-related emergencies, conduct welfare checks and bring needed supplies to those snowed into their homes.
Honsal told the Journal previously that his deputies have been very busy, doing welfare checks on people stuck in their homes and responding to other weather related emergencies. Frustratingly, though, he said some have added to the department's burden by traveling needlessly, whether taking a "scenic" drive over Bald Hills Road only to end up stuck or heading to higher elevations to sled or recreate. Honsal said the department's Snowcat vehicle has been busy. He urged people who can to stay home.
"We just want people to be safe and stay home and not put themselves in a situation to be rescued," he said.
In addition, the HCSO was one of several agencies that came together to coordinate an emergency air-drop of hay to feed hungry herds left starving in inaccessible areas of snow-covered ranches.
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal has declared a Local Emergency as a result of the significant impact of ongoing winter storms throughout the county. Consecutive major winter storms have resulted in a large accumulation of snow, impassible roadways, downed trees, disrupted utility services, damaged and flooded roadways, mudslides, damaged structures and dead livestock; these impacts exhausting and exceeding available county resources. Additional snow and rain in the forecast are expected to bring significant risk of downed trees, potential flooding in small streams and rivers, power outages and road blockages. The declaration allows for the county to seek state and federal reimbursement for damage repairs and other associated impacts. The amount of funding depends on the agencies that assist, including the State of California and federal government. The County of Humboldt is requesting all available response and recovery assistance from the State of California and its agencies, including the California Public Utilities Commission, and the United States government and its agencies, as deemed appropriate by the Governor of California, including funding under the California Disaster Assistance Act and the federal Stafford Act. For updated information regarding Humboldt County’s emergency response, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency and visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter.
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About The Author
Kimberly Wear
Bio:
Kimberly Wear is the assistant editor of the North Coast Journal.
Kimberly Wear is the assistant editor of the North Coast Journal.
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