King Salmon January 2026 Flooding
Over the past week, the coastal community of King Salmon has been navigating recovery from significant and destructive flooding caused by a rare combination of record-breaking King Tides, intense storm surge, and heavy rainfall that occurred during the weekend of January 2nd. Because this event did not trigger a formal state or federal disaster declaration, the automatic mobilization of large-scale government resources is not available. Humboldt COAD has stepped in to provide community advocacy and coordination, working to bridge the gap between residents and the resources necessary for recovery.
The effectiveness of the current response is rooted in the long-term work of the CalPoly Humboldt Sea Level Rise (SLR) Institute. For several years, their team has been embedded in King Salmon to understand the social, political, and economic dimensions of SLR planning and adaptation on Humboldt Bay. The deep trust established during their research projects proved to be a vital asset when the flooding began.
The Institute’s team and community liaisons went above and beyond, pivoting from research to direct support as the floodwaters rose. Their established connections with existing human infrastructure (specifically the Humboldt (Hill) Grange and the South Bay Family Resource Center) have been foundational to the COAD’s ability to reach impacted families and organize recovery efforts quickly. Immediately following the flooding, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the American Red Cross conducted home visits to address urgent life-safety concerns and identify temporary housing needs. Simultaneously, the Humboldt County Department of Planning and Building began performing damage assessments in tandem with the SLR Institute. Their joint assessment has already identified over 30 homes with significant interior water damage.
Humboldt COAD was on-site and active in King Salmon throughout the week of January 7th to January 11th, working alongside community liaisons and partners to facilitate immediate relief. During this period, efforts focused on distributing cleaning supplies donated by Pay It Forward Humboldt, with the American Red Cross providing additional cleanup kits. Faculty and students from CalPoly Humboldt assisted residents in transferring heavy debris into dumpsters provided by County Public Works. By the end of the day on January 11th, all four dump stations were completely full. The Humboldt (Hill) Grange also maintained a strong presence, continuing its coordination with community liaisons and offering their space as a vital gathering point for residents and service providers. Response activities also prioritized food security: community liaisons have been providing modest daily food donations and prepared meals (some provided by Food Not Bombs), and CalFresh benefit replacement forms (CF303) were made available to those who lost perishables who are CalFresh recipients.
Current COAD efforts are focused on community advocacy, coordination with agencies and organizations, unmet needs assessments, and resource sourcing and distribution. The goal of the COAD is to continue advocating for the community, networking critical resources, providing preparedness support, and participating in long-term resiliency building projects alongside established community partners. If you or your organization has any resources/services related to the needs we have identified far, please contact nick@humboldtcoad.org as soon as possible.
Documented Community Impacts The physical, financial, and emotional toll on the community is high:
Vulnerability: Critical gaps persist for elderly residents and those with disabilities who may be physically unable to clean their homes or who may have struggled to access resources during the peak of the flood.
Economic Strain: Many residents have lost vehicles, major appliances, and irreplaceable items. Because so many washing machines and water heaters were destroyed, residents are forced to travel out of the area for basic sanitation and meals.
Structural and Health Risks: Beyond saturated walls and ruined flooring, there are some concerns regarding potential sewage contamination in the floodwaters, creating a high risk for mold and unsafe living conditions.
Mental Health: The community remains highly anxious about the next King Tide cycle at the end of the month and feels unsure about the longterm outlook of future flooding events.
While the damage reporting is ongoing as residents remove destroyed items, appliances, and damaged structural components of their homes, we have several immediate known needs based on the last couple days in the community:
Gift Card Donations: To help residents offset costs for gas, groceries, and hardware.
Rapid Dry-Down: Providing or sourcing industrial fans and dehumidifiers.
Appliance Replacement: We are continuing to identify the exact quantity and type of appliances that will need to be fully replaced, but this is a known and critical need.
Household Item & Food Replacements: Household item replacement needs identification will be an ongoing and communicated out to appropriate partners. Food replacement priorities may increase as residents clean and repair their kitchens enabling them to store and prepare food safely. This timing may align well with the next distribution event on Sunday the 18th
Community Support & Distribution Day – Sunday, January 18th Humboldt COAD is coordinating a Community Distribution and Support Day on Sunday, January 18th. The goal of this event will be to provide distributions of items the community needs to work towards fully recovering from the flooding as well as providing resources and support to help residents feel more empowered ahead of future tide cycles. It is incredibly important that the community is and feels seen, if your organization has a service, supplies or other resources please consider joining us – contact us for more information on how you can help.
Upcoming Coordination Meeting (Date TBD) Humboldt COAD will soon announce details for a meeting with partners who have been working on the ground to present current data, review the ongoing work of the SLR Institute, and continue future recovery and preparedness efforts. We encourage all member organizations to attend to help us identify how your specific programs can support this community.
Thank you to everyone who has been contributing their time and resources during the response to this event. As we continue to learn more about the impacts to the residents of King Salmon we will share unmet needs and opportunities to collaborate in support of the community.