Leadership in disaster
We had the privilege of joining the Leadership Redwood Coast Class of 2026 a couple months back with a presentation on leadership in times of disaster: what it asks of ordinary people, and why the answer to "who shows up?" is so often the leaders already in the room.
We walked through the North Coast's risk fingerprint, the six hazards that shape life here, from earthquakes and tsunamis to atmospheric rivers and the fastest sea level rise on the West Coast. We shared stories from recovery operations Humboldt COAD has partnered with communities on, including the years of unmet-needs work in Rio Dell after the 2022 earthquake and the ongoing recovery and hazard mitigation projects in coastal communities like King Salmon. We had a candid conversation about this winter's El Niño and what it does, and doesn't, tell us about the year ahead.
The heart of the session was an interactive long-term recovery exercise, where participants stepped into the role of a recovery group facing more need than any budget could cover. What happened next is why we do this work. These leaders began applying their own organizations' resources to the gaps: a space, a crew, a contact, a referral. In real time, they built the mutual aid network that recovery actually runs on, and discovered the reason a COAD exists: a community that connects before disaster, not after.
Disaster recovery is very complex, and no single organization can carry it. Engaging local leaders like this cohort matters because they hold the relationships, spaces, and skills that community-driven disaster recovery is made of. Thank you to Leadership Redwood Coast for making room for the hard questions and for building the kind of leaders who stay.
If your organization wants a seat at the table before the next disaster, COAD membership is free and easy to sign up with.
Want to take the next step in your own leadership journey? Check out the Leadership Redwood Coast , a program of the Redwood Coast Chamber Foundation
Photos by: Seamus Kistner
