The 2nd Annual Highwater Jamboree returned to Miller Regional Park in Sacramento on Saturday, Oct. 19, kicking off California Flood Preparedness Week.
Co-hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, California Department of Water Resources and the City of Sacramento, , the goal of the Highwater Jamboree is to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for visitors to learn about preparation for, prevention of, and responses to possible flooding in the flood-prone Sacramento region.
The event featured demonstrations of flood-fighting techniques and equipment including the Corps’ new automatic sandbagging machine, which can fill as many as 1,000 sandbags per hour, and tours of our emergency response mobile command center.
With no pun intended, Daniel Bowers, Director of Emergency Management at the City of Sacramento put it this way: “If education is too dry, people won’t absorb it. So events like this one are great ways for citizens to see how the region prepares, and to take note for themselves as well.”
The event also provided children and adults opportunities to climb aboard and get some hands-on time with the wide variety heavy equipment on display. Dozens of booths and displays presented health and safety information from organizations ranging from FEMA to PG&E and many others. Among other events, visitors were able to watch the swift-water rescue team in action (simulated rescue, of course), a sandbagging competition, and with the overarching goal of safety, were encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts.
Check out event video from the Sacramento Bee: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article236455853.html