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San Benito County has launched an effort to update how the community prepares for and responds to emergencies such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes and extreme heat. The update, known as the Safety Element, will be part of the county’s General Plan and help guide future policy decisions.
At an Aug. 19 public workshop, consultant Surabhi Barbhaya of Kimley-Horn, the firm hired to lead the project, said that state law requires a new Safety Element whenever a jurisdiction updates its Housing Element. San Benito County approved its Housing Element earlier this year, though it still awaits full state certification. The county’s last Safety Element was adopted in 2015.
“Since then, a lot of new laws have come into being, and the Safety Element needs to address these,” Barbhaya said. “These include additions to climate resiliency policies, evacuation routes, [hazard] identification and assessment, and linking the plan to the hazard mitigation plan.”
Earthquakes are one of the county’s most significant risks, Barbhaya said.
“San Benito County is located in California’s most seismically active region,” she said. “The major fault zones that traverse the central region of the county are the Calaveras and San Andreas faults. That’s why earthquake planning becomes an important aspect of the Safety Element.”
Earthquakes not only pose a direct threat but increase the risk of flooding, making it critical for the county to closely monitor the San Justo and Paicines reservoirs.
“The failure of these dams could impact infrastructure and result in the loss of life,” Barbhaya said. While most flood-prone areas in the county are not heavily populated, she added, “there could be risk to agricultural lands and property.”
County Planning Commissioner Robert Scagliotti, speaking as a member of the public, warned that a major earthquake could cut off the county’s limited main escape routes.
“This community has to be very, very aware that there are only three ways in and out,” he said. “If we lose any of the bridges on 25 or 156, and we have a big rockslide on 25 south, we’re trapped. So, the biggest concern this community should have is earthquakes.”
Barbhaya added that wildfires and climate change also pose growing risks. Rising greenhouse gas emissions are driving up the number of extreme heat days, she said. The county could see increases from four per year today to between 11 and 27 in the future even if emissions start decreasing by 2040; if not, the number of extreme heat days could increase to between 13 and 36.
“So as part of the Safety Element update, it will be extremely important to plan for extreme heat days,” she said.
The public was invited to weigh in on which natural or human-caused hazards pose the greatest risk to the county. The top concerns were earthquakes, wildfires, pandemics or epidemics, and hazardous material incidents such as spills.
County staff and Kimley-Horn consultants are now finalizing the existing conditions report. Using public input, they will then draft goals and policies that must be reviewed by Cal Fire to ensure the county is adequately planning for fire risks.
A public review draft will follow, which the county expects to be adopted in spring 2026.
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