BOARD TO DISCUSS LANDSLIDE SITUATION
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors are set to meet next Tuesday to discuss theinext course of action with the proclamation of local emergency on Centerville Road and Fleener Creek in Ferndale after the failure of the road.
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal declared a state of emergency Friday after a landslide significantly hit the Centerville/ Fleener Creek area. The landslides became progressively worse since January and now could impact entries and exits to the area, which includes recreational areas that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
“This is a clear threat to the safety of Humboldt County residents and will require immediate protective actions to ensure safe routes of travel are retained, and access to hazard areas are limited; these impacts are exhausting and exceeding available county resources,” said the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in Friday's release announcing the local emergency.
Stating the local emergency is required before requesting federal or state assistance for landslide recovery efforts.
In the meeting on Tuesday, the Humboldt Counth Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to ratify the local emergency proclamation. Then the board will decide if they'll forward a copy of the proclamation to the director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, to request consideration and action on the landslide recovery efforts from the state office of emergency service. A majority vote will be required to decide the board's decision.
If the board decides against ratifying the proclamation, it would not allow Humboldt County to receive emergency program assistance outside the county.
The third thing on the board's agenda regarding the proclamation of emergency at the Centerville/ Fleener Creek landslide is whether the board will designate Ryan Derby or his representative as the authorized representative of the County of Humboldt for receipt, processing, and coordination of all inquiries and requirements necessary to obtain available State assistance. Derby is the emergency services program manager for the county. He has held the position since December 2019.