If you think the government is going to bail you out if a flood comes, think again. While a dozen or so public agencies will do their darndest to save your life and maybe even your house, once the disaster is over, you are largely on your own. If you are a homeowner, you probably […]
sea level rise
Posted inLetters + Opinion
‘Some Urgency’
At the Aug. 27 meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, First District Supervisor Rex Bohn introduced a measure calling for the creation of a citizen advisory council on climate action. Such a council, it is hoped, can provide a significant additional voice to a process — the creation of a climate action plan […]
Posted inNews
Radioactive
Need something to add to your worry list? Something in addition to global warming, sea level rise, wildfires, war, social injustice, the next tsunami and that long-expected mega-earthquake? How about the six casks of nuclear waste stored at the Humboldt Bay Power Plant? Staff members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — at least those well-spoken […]
Posted inNews
‘Ground Zero:’ Coastal Commission Approves Safety Corridor Project, Worries Sea Level Rise May Leave it Under Water
While Caltrans’ project on the 6-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 101 that connects Eureka and Arcata is aimed at improving safety for motorists, the agency got an earful Aug. 7 from California Coastal Commissioners who felt it is ignoring a potentially far more dangerous threat: sea level rise. “This is ground zero,” said Chair Dayna […]
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Study: Humboldt May Need $2.5 Billion by 2040 to Combat Sea-Level Rise
The United States will have to spend more than $400 billion by 2040 to protect coastal communities against sea-level rise, according to a study released this week. The study, from the Center for Climate Integrity in partnership with the engineering for Resilient Analytics, found the problem would be particularly acute in Humboldt County, which would […]
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Huffman Appointed to New Congressional Climate Crisis Committee
North Coast Representative Jared Huffman has been appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on a new Congressional committee formed to address the devastating effects of climate change. “Communities in my district on the North Coast of California are already feeling the impacts of climate change, including warming and acidifying oceans, drought, and devastating wildfires,” […]
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King Tides Preview Sea Level Rise (Slideshow)
For three days last week, Humboldt Bay was filled to the brim — and then some — by 8-and-a-half-foot king tides. Typical high tides in our section of the coast run 6 to 7 feet. The extra foot or two of water backed up the many sloughs that run into Humboldt Bay, changing pasturelands into […]
Posted inNews
Officials Brace for Sea Level Rise
As sea levels inexorably rise, various public agencies have been working locally to find a defensive strategy to protect vulnerable bottomlands from inundation. This is a challenging enterprise. The cities of Arcata and Eureka, plus more than 10,000 acres of agricultural land, U.S. Highway 101, underground gas lines and electrical power lines are located in […]
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Be A King Tides Groupie
King tides are exciting: The ocean creeps up and up into our faces, higher than usual, until we can’t help but stop in the middle of the Eureka Slough Bridge to gaze and wonder, “Where’d that skinny island go?” And then, driving around Humboldt Bay, we marvel at the overtopped dikes and waterlogged bay islands […]
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Coastal Commission Gives Conditional Go-Ahead to Caltrans’ 101 Corridor Project
Going against its own staff’s recommendation, the California Coastal Commission this evening voted 9-1 to give a conditional federal consistency determination (translation: a go-ahead) to Caltrans’ proposed project for the 101 corridor between Arcata and Eureka. And that’s not all: The “conditional” part of the approval means that Caltrans will have to address a number […]
Posted inNews
Aldaron’s Walkabout
The South Bay gleamed dully at low tide, its exposed flats an expanse of greenish-brown mud. A watery blue, dendritic network of tidal channels, thick with eelgrass, cut across the faintly reeking ooze, as if an enormous, mythical tree made of heavy sky had fallen from above, landed deep and remained, capturing sea water and […]