CSUMB joins multi-agency response to the storms and flooding

As the atmospheric rivers pour more rain onto California and the Salinas River continues to rise and flood surrounding areas, more and more resources are being marshaled to protect people and property.

CSUMB is playing a role in responding to the effects of the rainstorm and flooding.

Glen Nelson, Vice President of Administration and Finance and Executive Director of the University Corporation, who has been involved in many Incident Management Teams, emailed faculty and staff on Wednesday about commuters working remotely to avoid being stranded on the Peninsula by flood waters.

“Our highest priority is ensuring our community's safety and well-being as we continue to navigate the impact of these winter storms,” he wrote.

Chief Earl Lawson (second from left) and and Ken Folsom (second from right) at Monterey County Sheriff's press conference

Police Chief Earl Lawson has provided two officers to assist with evacuations, and the campus is providing staging areas for PG&E, FEMA, Monterey County Office of Emergency Services and Cal OES, including trucks for lineworkers who repair downed power lines, traffic control vehicles, light towers to illuminate work at night, and vehicles and equipment for tree trimmers.

CSUMB Emergency Manager Ken Folsom has seen, responded to, and managed many floods in his native Ohio. 

“I have been monitoring the weather forecasts daily and attending the Monterey County Department of Emergency coordination calls  — sometimes 2 to 3 times daily,” Folsom says. He then sends updates to campus leadership.

He says that CSUMB is prepared to support Monterey County’s Emergency Operations Center, which has mobilized many safety agencies in response to the extreme weather.

That coordination is important in large incidents that range across communities and jurisdictions. CSUMB Police Chief Earl Lawson says that the local law enforcement community received an official mutual aid request from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Friday morning, Jan. 13.

For the duration of the extreme weather event, Folsom says that the Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol are recommending people only travel for essential purposes.

CSUMB community members can sign up for OTTERalerts emergency notification system that uses email, text-messaging and outdoor sirens by filling out this form. Parents, supporters, visitors, and community members can also sign up for OTTERalerts. 

Up-to-date information can be found at the websites of the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.