Humboldt County Roads on Shaky Ground

The Humboldt County Department of Public Works is participating in International ShakeOut Day on Thursday, Oct. 17.

ShakeOut is the largest earthquake drill in the world. Tomorrow, on Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m., millions of people across the U.S. and around the globe will practice earthquake safety at home, work, or school by practicing the recommended safety actions to "drop, cover, and hold on."

Humboldt's roads are on shaky ground, with earthquakes occurring regularly, so it is important for the Department of Public Works to be prepared. As such, Humboldt County Public Works will use Oct. 17 to practice simulating real-life scenarios in order to be prepared for the next major earthquake.

Inspecting, documenting and repairing a county road system after a major earthquake requires an organized approach to ensure public safety, restore connectivity and allocate resources effectively. In the event of a major earthquake, Public Work's roads crews will:

• Immediately deploy first responder roads crews to conduct safety assessments on county roads, bridges and infrastructure. These crews will implement emergency road and bridge closures and coordinate with the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services and emergency service providers to assess priority routes for rescue and supply efforts.
• Conduct a survey of the entire road system to identify immediate hazards and categorize the severity of earthquake damages. Teams perform inspections, focusing on key infrastructures like bridges and overpasses.
• Conduct detailed inspections on the most critically damaged areas, such as structural, pavement, drainage and utility assessments and geotechnical surveys on areas prone to landslides.
• Prioritize and make necessary repairs to restore essential connectivity and infrastructure, while enhancing future resilience.
• Document all damages and repair work to ensure properly tracked in collaboration with local, state and federal authorities.

While roads crews respond immediately during earthquakes to reopen damaged roads as quickly as possible, it is important to note that carrying out more extensive road repairs is a timely process, and often does not address the root cause of a road failure. On larger projects it can take several years to gain proper approvals, and up to 6-10 years to receive partial reimbursements. In addition, due to regulations at higher levels of government, without significant local funding the county typically is only authorized to bring the road back to the condition it was in prior to the failure. However, to prevent and mitigate future failures from earthquakes it is vital to harden county roads above and beyond what is allowed from emergency repairs.

Stay Informed

Humboldt County residents are encouraged to sign up to receive text and email alerts regarding county road conditions, including upcoming projects and road closures. Residents can sign up at humboldtgov.org/roadsupdates. For more information and updates on Humboldt County roads projects, follow @HumCoRoads on Facebook or visit the Humboldt County Public Works Roads and Fleet Services Division webpage.

Sign Up for Humboldt Alert

During the ShakeOut drill, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services will be conducting a test of Humboldt Alert, the county's emergency notification system. Residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts ahead of this test at humboldtgov.org/alerts.

The Humboldt County Department of Public Works encourages the community to practice earthquake preparedness on Thursday, Oct. 17. For more earthquake preparedness tips and resources, please visit humboldtgov.org/prepare or ready.gov/earthquakes.

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