Sue passed away at St. Joseph Hospital from heart and kidney complications on November 15, 2022. She was 62.

She was born to Maryann and Concepsion Sanchez Jr in Encino, Calif. on March 2, 1960. She moved with her family to Eureka in 1969 on her ninth birthday and remained for 53 years.

She attended local schools — Worthington, Zane, Eureka High, and College of the Redwoods. She was married to Dave Morgan for 25 years, until his passing in 2009. They had two sons, Steve and Brad.

Sue was a preschool teacher for many years, being with children was one of her favorite things. As her sons went through local sports, she was their biggest fan, attending all their games sitting in the front row cheering every player on, while their dad was filming every game. If she wasn’t in the front row, she was volunteering in the snack bar or keeping score for another game. Sue loved supporting all local sports and kids who wanted to play the game.

Sue loved arts and crafts and especially drawing her colorful freehand designs. She also loved her weekly lunches with her granddaughter Allie and watching her grandsons play their sports, continuing the family traditions. She never missed a family gathering, as being with her family was most important to her. The joy of her life had been to see her sons marry and become parents, making her a G-ma, as her grandchildren called her.

She leaves behind her two sons and their families, Steve and Whitney, grandsons Parker and Dawson. Brad and Kathy and granddaughters Allie, Kayla, and Taylor; her stepdaughter Lynzi; her mother Maryann and stepfather Bill Smith; sister Leslie and Alex Albright and brother Danny and Pilar Sanchez; stepsister Carla; nephews Vinny Sanchez, Travis Adams; nieces Brittany Sanchez and Terra Adams; sister in-law Melanie Morgan Gosselin and nephews Mike, Travis and Will Morgan and niece Crystal Morgan Mayberry; and sister-in-law Laurie Sanchez. Many more aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father Concepsion Jr., her brother Mark Sanchez, husband Dave and brother in-law John Morgan, grandparents Sam and Lee Basso and Peggy and Concepsion Sanchez Sr.

The family would like to thank all the medical professionals who helped Sue for many years with dialyses weekly and all the care they showed her. She will be missed and remembered often for her warm heart and witty remarks.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Susan Sanchez-Morgan’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

On December 7, 2022, Connie Eitzen died unexpectedly at home. She was seventy-one. Constance Jean Brooks was born in Pomona, CA on Mar 9, 1951 to Ruth D and Donald W Brooks. Connie was a loving, caring, devoted mother and wife to her family; and a ray of sunshine to all who were privileged to know her. We will miss her always.

She was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. She is survived by her husband George Eitzen; sons Kelley and Steven, brother Larry Brooks (Michelle), and numerous cousins and extended family who loved her dearly.

Connie moved from Pomona to Eureka in 1964. Graduated from Eureka High in 1969. She married the love of her life (and soulmate), George Eitzen, on May 10, 1969 — they were married 53 yrs. She was an active member of First Covenant Church of Eureka. Connie was loving and generous to all, extending encouragement, comfort and assistance to so many in their time of need. She would regularly provide rides, or go to the store for elderly friends who needed help or were housebound. She would find bargains, and then deliver the treasure to the Rescue Mission. Whatever the need, she was ready to meet it. Although she loved all animals, she especially lavished love and affection on every dog that was fortunate enough to cross her path — she was the perfect dog-mom. She would adopt dogs that many would consider unadoptable. She always had goodies at hand for her four legged friends.

Although we are broken hearted with her passing, we know she is now in heaven with her Lord and Savior. We celebrate her life, and it was a life lived well and unselfishly. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. on Feb 4, 2023 at First Covenant Church, 2526 J St., Eureka, CA. (The service will be streamed live at that time — fcceureka.org.)

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Eureka Rescue Mission, P O Box 76, Eureka, CA 95502 (http://www.eurekarescuemission.org).

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The day after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Humboldt County in the early morning hours, emergency responders descended on the small city of Rio Dell, whose residents felt the brunt of the violent temblor.

By this afternoon, roughly 65 percent of the city’s homes had been inspected and 26 had been red-tagged, designating them as unsafe to inhabit. That means that roughly 65 local residents have been displaced, a number that will likely climb as inspections continue. Several homes slipped off their foundations. Others saw their brick fireplaces collapse, leaving gaping holes in their exterior walls.

Of those displaced, nine people stayed at an overnight shelter that’s been set up at Fortuna’s Rohner Park. Three others were referred to free hotel rooms. City staff assumes the rest were able to stay with nearby friends or family.

Another 37 homes have been yellow-tagged, meaning they were damaged in the quake but remain safe enough to live in.

At a press conference this afternoon, Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp said staff revised yesterday’s estimate — that about half of the city’s homes had been inspected — downward.

“We did focus initially on the primary damage zone in the northeast corner of the community, so we do expect to the red-tagging to increase but not significantly,” he said.

As of this afternoon, power had been restored to more than 80 percent of Rio Dell’s households, according to Knopp, but the town’s damaged water system is taking longer to repair.

Shortly after the quake struck, city staff members learned that a series of cracks in the city’s water lines were leaking, causing the level in the main supply tank to decrease rapidly. Worried about maintaining enough water for fire suppression, the city shut the whole system down, leaving about 1,400 customers without water.

Today, crews worked to repair the cracks and check supply lines. They started from the main water tower above the city and proceeding systematically, from high to low elevation, sending water into the pipes a few blocks at a time, checking for leaks and then proceeding to the next segment.

Around 10:30 this morning, Knopp was at the north end of Wildwood Avenue, the city’s main drag, checking pipes alongside Water Superintendent Randy Jensen, Public Works Leadman Andres Lopez and other city employees.

“We want to try to restore as much as we possibly can,” Knopp said. “However, we do have several large breaks.”

Still, he was optimistic.

“We’re hoping to get 50 percent of water subscribers reactivated by 6 p.m., and we think that’s achievable,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but we have a great team — both the city workers and private contractors who have come on board to assist the city in this effort.”

Knopp explained that re-pressurizing the system can be complicated because it’s very unusual for these pipes not to have steady outward pressure from the flow of water inside. When the system shuts down, the reverse happens: the pressure from the surrounding soil pushes inward.

Once the stream is turned back on, Knopp said, “You can have a whole bunch of unintended consequences, like the water hammer effect. … So it’s actually a lot more complicated than people think, and it really requires a very, very good knowledge of the local system, which Randy has. I mean, he knows the system inside and out.”

At the time, water service had been restored to only about 210 customers. By 1 p.m. that number hadn’t changed. Those lucky enough to have water in their pipes still need to boil it if they plan to consume it, Jensen said. He and Lopez looked a bit dazed.

“Part of the trauma of this [earthquake] is that it has impacted the employees of the city, and they’re asked to come out,” Knopp said.

“Abandon ship and come do this,” Jensen phrased it.

Lopez’s own home, like many in the city, sits on a post and pier foundation, and it had shifted off its footing during the quake. He’s worried that there may be water leaks under the house.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Don’t have time to go under there and check yet.” 

Rio Dell’s problems have been exacerbated by poor or non-existent cell service. 

“This is the worst,” he said. “This is the most obnoxious thing. I’m going to switch from Verizon because, yeah, I get no data. I’m borrowing one of our secretaries’ cell phones that has a connection [via another provider]. … We’re really annoyed by Verizon. They have a tower up here. We assume that the generator ran out of gas because … yesterday, everything was working great. And then around 10 a.m. yesterday all of our phones, everything, just everything died.”

Even the copper land line at City Hall, which was supposed to serve as a backup option, had gone out. 

Knopp said he’d called Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell earlier in the day to see if the county’s Office of Emergency Services could “light a fire” under Optimum, the land line server, and Verizon.

“Because it really, in this day and age, it’s really crippling,” he said of the communication blackout. “It’s delaying everything. Everything takes ten times longer to communicate. That’s a real problem.”

Up the road at City Hall, a line of porta-potties sat in the parking lot. A water truck filled with potable water was also there, allowing residents to come by and fill five-gallon buckets or other containers so they can at least flush their toilets.

Since this morning, a steady line of vehicles has snaked around the back of the fire hall as local residents queued up to receive donated flats of bottled water.

Hundreds of pallets of donated water bottles have been arriving on a staggered basis, allowing fire personnel and other volunteers to distribute them to thirsty families throughout the next few days as necessary, according to Fire Chief Shane Wilson.

“Right now we’re just responding to immediate-need incidents,” Wilson said this morning. “We’re distributing water and assisting the public in any way that we can.”

The water was donated by the Humboldt Redwood Company, Sysco Foods, Safeway and the California Office of Emergency Services.

Inside the fire hall, 300 hot lunches were served to hungry families from noon to 2 p.m.  Local nonprofits, including Food for People, had volunteers show up to the water distribution line to hand out meals and non-perishable food for local residents to take home. Food has also been donated by Sysco Foods and Grocery Outlet, and the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services is helping to coordinate resources.

“It’s been tremendous,” Wilson said.

Local residents can come to the fire station to charge their devices, grab some snacks “and just maybe sit down for for a while,” he added. It’s open 24 hours a day and typically has water and hot coffee available. Knopp said he hoped to have showers available at the hall by this afternoon.

Around 10 a.m. Jody and Christine Holland were inside the hall with their two sons, ages four and eight. The whole family looked exhausted.

“We’ve got no power, no water,” Christine said. “We’re unable to see to clean our house up. There’s glass all over.”

The Hollands’ younger son has hypopituitarism, a rare condition in which the pituitary gland doesn’t make enough of certain hormones. 

“We have to keep his meds cold and we can’t even really do that right now without any ice packs or power,” Christine said. Jody’s work crew was planning to bring the Hollands a cooler and ice packs later in the day.

Their elder son has been diagnosed with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder, or ODD. The past day and a half has been rough on him, Christine said. The family lives in a 45-unit low-income apartment complex, and the owner doesn’t allow residents to use generators or bring candles inside.

“We’re all huddling in our king size bed to stay warm, so there’s four of us in there and us parents are getting bopped in the face,” Christine said. City officials have said it could take a week or more before everyone in the city gets their water supply back. How will the Holland family get by?

“Unknown,” Christine said. “I haven’t got enough wet wipes for the kids. We’ve all got medical issues.” She said the family survived yesterday on half a gallon of water.

Jody said he’s lived through previous earthquakes, including the one that hit this region exactly a year before Tuesday’s. 

“This one hit us harder,” he said. “This is the first time with no water and no food.”

At the fire station, they loaded up on both.

Outside, the line of vehicles continued to move through the parking lot as volunteers hauled out shrink-wrapped flats of bottled water and loaded them into trunks and backseats.

“How many do you need?” one volunteer called out to the driver who’d just pulled up.

“Two,” replied the man behind the wheel, motioning to his wife in the passenger seat beside him. “She’s eight months pregnant.” 

As a general rule, families of less than four were given one flat while larger families received two.

“We’re trying to ration,” explained volunteer and Rio Dell resident Katrina Rumley. “If they’ve got kiddos or lots of animals we’ll give ‘em two.”

Many of those passing through the line appeared to be in good spirits, happy to see friends and load up on drinking water.

“We’ve had our PJs on for two days,” one resident remarked with a smile, speaking to a volunteer from her car window.

Rio Dell resident Cynthia Dobereiner was in a jokey mood as she pulled her full-sized pickup through the line. Asked how she was holding up she replied, “I’m doing all right!” She then added, “People are gonna start stinking — no showers! I’m not gonna want to be around my husband. Maybe that’s not a bad thing!” She laughed.

Volunteers handed her four chicken pita wraps that had been wrapped in foil. “Thank you guys very much,” Dobereiner said. “Thank you so, so, so much. … Our fire department is the best!”

Like other locals, she was surprised by the strength of this latest earthquake. 

“The sound was like a freight train coming through my bedroom, honest to God, and I was sound asleep,” she said. “But I noticed my fan, the ceiling fan. I’d never seen it rock out of the hole by the pin, in and out,” she said, mimicking the motion with her hands. “And all of a sudden the lights went out and I was like, ‘God’s gonna take me now! It’s gonna land on me!’ It was amazing. It was the worst [earthquake] I’ve ever been in in my life.”

At the Dollar General store across Wildwood Avenue, a cleaning crew was working to dig out from the extensive mess of products that had tumbled off the shelves. An entire aisle of beverages had fallen to the floor, their containers shattering, the mixture of fluids drenching the boxes of cereal that had fallen from the shelves across the way.

Outside, wheelbarrows and shopping carts full of sticky, ruined products awaited the next dump run. 

“We already took away one dump trailer load, ” said Lisa Hunter. The owner of this Dollar General lives on the east coast and had hired her husband’s company, Hunter and Son Construction, to do the cleanup, she said.

A passing motorist pulled her sedan into the parking lot.

“Are you open?” she called out. The workers said they weren’t, but one of them offered, “There’s batteries for free over here! Batteries and candy!” Some Duracell double-As were on a folding table. The candy appeared to have been all snatched up.

A brief press conference was held at City Hall at 2 p.m. Knopp relayed the good news that power had been turned on for most of the city. Unfortunately, almost immediately afterwards, a fire erupted nearby, inside a single-family house on the 700 block of Ireland Street.

Wilson reported that firefighters responded quickly, and with the water on board their engine they were able to knock it down and contain it before it spread. The damage was mostly limited to one room and its contents, with a little bit of spread into the attic. The cause is not yet known, but Wilson said it could be related to the resumed electrical current.

“Radiant heat can come from an outlet … with debris impacted contacts, metal objects or anything,” he said. “Heater devices that are left plugged in and maybe had some fall off [shelves]. I mean, it could be a number of things.”

The city has had three confirmed fires since the earthquake, including one sparked in the immediate aftermath by a displaced hot water heater.

Knopp reiterated the importance of the boil water order.

For those who’ve had their water service restored, he said, “you can still use it for bathing, you can still use it to flush toilets, but it is not safe raw out of the tap for consumption. So it is important for that to boil your water before you drink it. It will be some time before we are able to test the system to make sure that it [meets] clean and safe drinking water standards, so that’s at least a week or maybe longer before we can have the water become potable.”

Garbage dumpsters have been placed along Wildwood Avenue so that Rio Dell residents can dump spoiled food and earthquake debris. Tomorrow, cleanup kits will be available for pickup at the fire hall, supplying residents with brooms, garbage bags, etc.

Noting that the region’s business community has been impacted, Knopp encouraged local business owners to log onto the website for the county’s Economic Development Division tomorrow to fill out a survey.

“We really need all businesses to fill this out, whether you’re in Rio Dell or Garberville or Fortuna — anybody who’s been impacted by this earthquake, we really need you to fill out the form to participate in the survey that regards economic and job losses to your business.”

He also encouraged members of the business community to check out the websites for the Regional Economic Development Commission and the Small Business Development Center for additional information and assistance.

The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services is operating a non-emergency line for welfare checks and other information: 707-268-2500.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Recovery efforts continue following Tuesday’s M6.4 earthquake. Recovering from any type of disaster takes time and Humboldt County has a long road ahead.

CLEANUP SAFETY

Prior to cleaning up your home or business after an earthquake, record and photograph all damages. Having a record of damages may be necessary for insurance and other recovery processes. Residents are encouraged to report earthquake damages to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services at: https://humboldtgov.org/FormCenter/Office-of-Emergency-Services-23/Damage-Report-20221220-Earthquake-216

When you are ready to clean up, use caution. Wear protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, work gloves and sturdy thick-soled shoes. Do not try to remove heavy debris by yourself. People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled. Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.

Report gas leaks immediately to PG&E at: 1-800-743-5000

WATER SAFETY

If your water was shut off, your water can be turned back on once repairs are made. If a water main was broken, the water may need to be run for a few minutes until the water is clear of dirt and debris. Where water mains have broken, check humboldtgov.org/emergency for any requirement that water be boiled prior to use.

Boil water advisories are currently in effect for:

• City of Rio Dell
• City of Fortuna: Forest Hills Drive, Newell Drive, Valley View Drive, Boyden Lane, Scenic Drive, and Cypress Loop Rd.

If you are under a boil water advisory, do not drink the tap water without boiling it first. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one (1) minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

Potable water is available at the following locations: Rio Dell Fire Hall, 50 West Center Street, Rio Dell and Rohner Park Pavilion, 9 Park Street, Fortuna.

BUILDING SAFETY

Post-earthquake safety building inspections are being conducted in severely impacted communities. Building inspectors look for indications of damage due to the earthquake that would make the home unsafe to occupy or would require limits on occupancy in parts of the home or commercial buildings. If a “yellow tag” is placed on a building, it will indicate limitations on its use, such as a limited period of time for residents to remove their belongings, beyond which the home may not be occupied. A “red tag” indicates that the entire home is thought to be a potential hazard to life and cannot be entered or occupied until knowledgeable design professionals are able to further evaluate the conditions and determine required stabilization methods to allow retrieval of possessions or required repairs. If a red tag is assigned, you will be asked to leave the building immediately.

HIRING A CONTRACTOR

Don’t rush into repairs, no matter how badly they’re needed. Property owners are reminded to use licensed contractors for any repairs above $500. Ask to see the license. Impacted residents can find a licensed contractor at CSLB’s Find My Licensed Contractor. Get three bids, check references, and get a written contract. Don’t necessarily take the lowest bid, especially if it’s much less than other bids. To learn more tips, visit: Contractors State License Board

How can you tell if a contractor might not be reputable? Here are some tactics scammers use:

•  Scammers knock on your door looking for business because they are “in the area.”
• Scammers say they have materials left over from a previous job.
• Scammers pressure you for an immediate decision.
• Scammers ask you to pay for everything up front or only accept cash.
• Scammers ask you to get any required building permits.
• Scammers suggest you borrow money from a lender they know.

Work with your local building department to make sure you understand the rebuilding process and take advantage of all services they can provide. Don’t sign over any payment checks from your insurance company. 

To learn more tips, visit: Contractors State License Board

FIND SUPPORT

An earthquake and its aftermath can be both physically and emotionally overwhelming. Talk with your family about how they are feeling. Children and older adults are of special concern in the aftermath of disasters. Contact local volunteer agencies, professionals, or faith-based organizations for counseling. Reach out to neighborhood or community organizations and get involved. Your voice is important in deciding how your community will recover and rebuild in the years to come.

STAY INFORMED

The most important thing you can do while the community recovers is to keep informed.

• Sign up to receive Humboldt County Emergency Alerts at: humboldtgov.org/alerts
• Subscribe to OES news releases at: humboldtsheriff.org/subscribe
  

For updated information regarding the Humboldt County earthquake response, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency and visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter, or call 707-268-2500.

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Even a magnitude 6.4 earthquake couldn’t stop the Eureka City Council from missing its last meeting of the year! Come hell or high water – or trembling Earth – the council was dead set on swearing in its newest members and giving Mayor Susan Seaman and Councilmember Natalie Arroyo a proper send-off.

Before getting into the heartfelt goodbyes on Tuesday evening, the council approved a resolution to accept the results of the recent General Election and approve the appointments of Leslie Castellano for the First Ward, G. Mario Fernandez for the Third Ward, Renee Conteras de Loach for the Fifth Ward and Kim Bergel as Mayor. The motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Kati Moulton absent.

Before passing the torch to her successor, soon-to-be Supervisor Arroyo took a moment to thank each of her peers and city staff for their friendship and support during her time on the council.

“Everyone [has been] very patient with me and my occasional long-windedness,” she laughed. “I really do feel that there is a sense of love amongst city employees and the city council. A love and a deep respect that doesn’t come easily to public agencies, or any workplace really. …That doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other! In fact, we’ve disagreed with each other in, I think, a very productive and effective way. And that’s really important too.”

Likewise, Seaman fondly recalled her time as mayor, from the return of Tuluwat to the Wiyot Tribe to the recent Sara Bareilles concert at Halvorsen Park.

“Through it all, I got to work with this amazing, wonderful team on council and I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “It felt like lightning in a bottle to find this kind of synergy. I expect it to continue into the new council. … I just hope that you guys get to keep this momentum going because it’s just really been a treat, and you get a lot of stuff done when people are willing to work together.”

Turning to Mayor-Elect Kim Bergel, Seaman said she felt comfort in leaving the mayorship “in the hands of somebody who is so capable, so kind and ready to carry the culture that we’ve developed here.”

Councilmember Castellano thanked both Seaman and Arroyo for their service to the city as well as their collective capacity to “embrace change while also acknowledging that our community is all of us and we need to work together.”

Similarly, Councilmember Scott Bauer thanked Arroyo and Seaman for helping to show our community “what public service means.”

“I think we get a lot of we get beat up a lot and, Mayor, you keep it cool as my heart’s pounding out of my chest because I’m getting heated,” he laughed. “And I respect that so much, to be able to operate with poise and dignity through a lot of trying situations. … And Natalie, I think our loss is the county’s gain. … You’re perfect for it and the county is so lucky. We all are lucky.”

Bergel also expressed her appreciation to her outgoing peers, noting that Seaman will be “a tough act to follow.” 

“I’m so looking forward to my new job and I’m so looking forward to reaching out to you for some tidbits and in those kinds of things,” she said. “It’s been really just a delight and … what a gift it has been to work with the last couple of councils that we’ve had. Everybody is respectful and concerned about our city and not their own motives. I’m just really grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work with people on that level.”

With all the mushy stuff out of the way, Seaman invited Bergel and her family to approach the dais for the swearing-in ceremony. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Bergel swore in Castellano and the council’s newest members, G. Mario Fernandez and Renee Contreras de Loach, who appeared virtually.

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Local Emergency Resolution

Before adjourning for the evening, City Manager Miles Slattery asked the council to ratify a local emergency declaration in response to Tuesday’s earthquake. The resolution would provide a path for the city to get reimbursed for costs associated with the emergency response, Slattery explained.

“Before I get into it, I really want to thank all of our staff – the response was incredible,” he said. “We had literally all hands on deck. … It really took a village to make this happen today and I’ve received a lot of personal phone calls about how impressive our presence was out there in making people feel comfortable.”

Eleven residential endured significant damage from the earthquake, Slattery said. Four commercial buildings have been “red-tagged,” meaning the structures are uninhabitable for the time being.

The council unanimously approved the emergency resolution in a 4-0 vote with Councilmember Moulton absent.

Water and Sewer Rate Hike

It looks as though Eureka residents will pay a bit more for water and sewer services in the new year. 

The council approved the contentious water and sewer rate increase during a special meeting on Monday night. The rate increase seeks to raise the City’s water and sewer rates incrementally over the next five years to cover improvements to the City’s aging infrastructure. 

The last rate study, which was completed by NBS Consulting in 2016, implemented yearly rate increases through 2021. The City retained the same firm to perform the 2022 rate study for both utilities, assess alternative rate structures and review how costs are allocated to different customer classes. 

How much will your utility rates increase? Water rates are expected to go up by eight to ten percent each year for the next five years, for a total increase of 58 percent, NBS consultant Jordan Taylor explained to the council. Sewer rates will go up by about four to ten percent per year for the five years for a total increase of 34 percent.

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Castellano asked whether the City could cash in on grant funding to help pay for these infrastructure improvements to ease the burden on ratepayers, adding, “I don’t imagine anyone loves raising water and sewer rates.”

Public Works Director Brian Gerving said the staff has not yet identified any grant opportunities that would apply to local jurisdictions but said, “potentially in future fiscal years.” 

Arroyo hinted at “something that could help” ratepayers that will be discussed at a future council meeting but said, “it’s not going to come before council ‘til the next meeting.”

Each of the council members acknowledged the downsides of the rate increase but, ultimately, felt the increase was an essential component in maintaining city infrastructure.

“It’s a bummer that the can has been kicked for decades but … water is life and sewer systems are critical to not having things like cholera, all these horrible diseases that struck cities centuries ago,” Bauer said. “We’re past that and we have really old infrastructure that needs to be upgraded. It’s unfortunate that we all have to bear the burden of that but I don’t see any alternative.”

The council passed the motion in a 5-0 vote.

Press release from Caltrans:

State Route 211 at Fernbridge in Humboldt County is expected to reopen as early as 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21. Crews will be on-site to control the flow of traffic on both ends of the bridge.

“Thanks very much to the residents that use Fernbridge for their patience,” said Caltrans Resident Engineer Tai Morgan-Marbet. “Please plan extra time into your route in anticipation of delays in the area. For the first couple of days, we’ll have flaggers conducting one-way traffic control, and eventually, we’re looking at using a temporary signal. Please be alert and follow prompts patiently and safely.” Morgan-Marbet added the bridge will still accommodate its typical sizes of trucks.

The bridge was closed following a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered near Ferndale in the early morning of Dec. 20. District 1 engineers conducted an initial inspection and observed damage to the bridge’s underlying structure and the bridge deck. The bridge was closed until additional inspections could be conducted in daylight. All other nearby bridges, overcrossings, and roadways in the district remained open following inspections.

A team from the Structure Maintenance and Investigations unit at Caltrans Headquarters was dispatched to conduct a complete inspection of the bridge. That team determined repairs could be made with one-way control traffic in place.

Emergency funding in the amount of $6 million was allocated for initial repairs, which have already begun. Crews worked throughout the day to repave damaged parts of the roadway and add additional support to the bridge’s approaches to allow for reopening.

Caltrans District 1 will continue to update the community on any changes in traffic control or road closures through social media, quickmap.dot.ca.gov, and the QuickMap app. Follow Caltrans District 1 on Facebook and Twitter.

About Fernbridge

Fernbridge on State Route 211 is a concrete arch bridge crossing the Eel River that first opened in 1911. At 1,320 feet long, it is the longest poured concrete bridge still operating in the world and serves as the main connector between the town of Ferndale and U.S. 101. The bridge has withstood numerous natural disasters, including earthquakes, and floods.

PREVIOUSLY:

• “McKinleyville Structure Fire” 

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Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

On 12/20/2022 at 5:04 P.M. Arcata Fire District units were dispatched to a report of a residential structure fire on the 100 Block of Timmons Lane, in the Essex area of Arcata. The residents had returned to their home and found it full of smoke with fire spreading in the living room area. One of the occupants entered the home in an attempt to rescue family pets, suffering minor smoke inhalation while doing so. The occupant denied needing any medical treatment at scene.

The first arriving Arcata Fire unit found the double-wide manufactured home with smoke and fire coming from the roof area. The first unit immediately set up for fire attack. Additional units arrived and began ventilating the structure. All other occupants of the residence were out of the building at the time of the Fire District’s arrival. Fire personnel attacked the fire and had it controlled within fifteen minutes. Units transitioned to overhaul and extinguished remaining hot spots. A pet boa constrictor was rescued from the residence, but unfortunately, two dogs succumbed to smoke inhalation prior to being rescued.

Arcata Fire personnel conducted an origin and cause investigation and determined that the fire was accidental and appeared to originate near a stovepipe through the ceiling and spread through the living room area.

The estimated damage to the home is $80,000.

Arcata Fire would like to thank Blue Lake Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Samoa Fire, and Cal Fire for their assistance at the incident and covering the Arcata Fire District jurisdiction. Particularly now that winter is here, Arcata Fire District would like to remind our residents to have their chimneys and stovepipes checked and cleaned annually.