GA Airport Turned Into Emergency Base In Storm-Ravaged California

Ocean Ridge Airport's 2,504-foot runway is expected to be a basecamp for power company workers through the end of February.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, January 09, 2023 at 06:23 PM ET

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Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is using Ocean Ridge Airport as an emergency staging area amid widespread power outages in California. [Courtesy: Mike Nelson]

Key Takeaways:

Ocean Ridge Airport (E55) is currently serving as a critical emergency staging area for PG&E crews responding to widespread power outages and damage caused by severe atmospheric river storms in California.
The privately-owned airport has been transformed into a temporary "pop-up city," housing approximately 300 utility workers and their equipment, leading to its closure for general aviation traffic while remaining available for emergency helicopter operations.
This emergency deployment underscores the vital role airports, even smaller and privately-owned ones, play as essential public resources and infrastructure during large-scale natural disasters, supporting arguments against their closure.

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One of the arguments used to protect airports from closure and redevelopment is that they are public resources, especially in times of emergency. That’s exactly what is happening at Ocean Ridge Airport (E55) on the coast of California.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)—the company that provides the bulk of California’s power—is using the airport as an emergency staging area as wave after wave of atmospheric rivers come in from the Pacific knocking out power. As of Monday afternoon, at least 12 deaths had been attributed to the storm, some by flood waters or by falling trees that were knocked down by the combination of saturated soil and strong winds.