Maritime Fun Fact: The word ‘quarantine’ comes from the Latin word ‘forty,’ which was the number of days a ship had to wait to dock in Venice because of the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. 
This month we are celebrating and bringing awareness to National Preparedness Month. The Port supports emergency preparedness at all levels. We encourage you to take the time with your loved ones to prepare an emergency plan. Ready.gov provides information and best practices on how to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies. From earthquakes to power outages to flooding, Ready.gov will help you prepare a plan for any situation. 

National Preparedness Month is also a time for the Port to reflect on our recent progress in supporting our regional emergency preparedness initiatives. In this edition of Currents, we will highlight projects aimed at increasing our region’s resiliency. We are proud to partner with multiple agencies at both the local and national levels to serve Silicon Valley. 

Finally, please join the Port for a Day on the Bay on Oct. 2 from 1:30-4 p.m. Our waterfront is the perfect place to make memories with family and friends. 
Warm Regards,
Kristine A. Zortman
Executive Director, Port of Redwood City 
Fireboat
Spotlight on preparedness
September is National Preparedness Month! With strong insight and initiative, the Port of Redwood City is leading regional emergency preparedness. The Port is taking the necessary steps to prepare for potential emergencies in the future by allocating funding and resources to develop emergency plans, improve infrastructure and boost partnerships. Here are a few noteworthy projects underway at the Port: 

  • New fire and police boat dock: We are investing approximately $2.5 million of Port Security Grant Program funding in a fire and police boat dock. The new dock will serve as a home base for emergency vessels. 
  • Interagency operations center: The Port is building a new Interagency Operation Center (IOC). The IOC will support Port and partner agencies in conducting first responder training, exercises and serve as a home base during events. 
  • FEMA designation: Our continued FEMA federal staging area designation means we are a “Ready Port.” Our emergency wharf can withstand an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, and in case of an emergency, would support regional recovery efforts via the water.

Click the button below to learn more about the Port’s preparedness. 
You're invited to "Day on the Bay"
Join the Port of Redwood City for a “Day on the Bay,” and invite your friends and family for a splash of fun. There will be live music, food vendors, boat rentals, fresh fish sales, an antique auto show, boat tours and more! Thank you to our event sponsors Seaport Industrial Association and Sims Metal for supporting our first sponsored community gathering in 2021.  

Date: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  
Location: 675 Seaport Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063 
Parking: Free on a first come, first serve basis 
Cost: Free to the public
Port facts - available any time, any day
As part of our value to serve Silicon Valley, we aim to provide relevant information on our initiatives and services. We updated our fact sheets and created a home docking page for easy access on our website.  
Arion SB
Port secures security grant
For the third consecutive year, the Port of Redwood City is a recipient of a grant from the Port Security Grant Program funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. At the Board of Port Commissioner meeting on Sept. 22, the Port accepted a nearly $1 million grant to support interagency operations, enhance training and exercises, and fund security infrastructure such as cameras, lights and fencing. 

These improvements strengthen the Port’s collaboration with local, regional and federal first responder partners involved in maritime security. In previous years, the Port was awarded $1.8 million and $1.5 million in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The Port is honored to have the support from the federal government to improve our operations and strengthen our FEMA designation.