Over the past several years, the state has experienced an unprecedented number of emergencies and disasters. As these climate-driven natural disasters become more severe in California, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) staff has met each new challenge head-on.
The nearly 2,000 staff at Cal OES have responded to increasingly complex disasters in fresh and innovative ways, strengthening the foundation of emergency management to prepare for, respond to and recover from all types of emergencies and disasters.
This week, Cal OES welcomes you to learn more about Derek Bays, Engineering Geologist with the Recovery Division at Cal OES. The work he does supports recovery’s watershed unit by constantly working to identify post-fire risks to local communities so that hazards like mudslides, debris flows and more can be mitigated.
“I am very passionate about this position because it offers an opportunity to do meaningful work that has significant impact,“ Derek said.
Derek is passionate about the type of work he gets to do, which is a stark departure from the earth science industry. The fast pace of response and recovery gives him the ability to enact meaningful change in the agency. Before working at Cal OES, Derek was an engineering geologist in the private sector, producing subsurface investigations and geologic hazard analysis across Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.