Catastrophe contingencies were what were being discussed at a public meeting in Sacramento County on Wednesday evening.

When flooding occurs or a wildfire breaks out, Sacramento County disaster planners want to be ready.

"We never know when something will hit," said Matt Robinson with Sacramento County Water Resources.

That's why emergency responders and community members came together to plan for the next catastrophe.

"Could it be a terrorist attack, could it be a flood, could it be train derailment, could it be something that we haven't even thought of," Robinson said. 

"It is important that we are prepared," said Valeria Sasser, a Natmoas resident.

Sasser's home could be under 16 feet of water if the river levee ever broke.

"I'm very interested in this subject and I think it's important to have a plan for that," she said.

The process involves writing a local hazard mitigation plan, something that is updated every five years and is required by FEMA.

"They want to make sure we are taking the necessary steps to protect our community," Robinson said.

It documents the types of disasters that could strike and their potential risk.

"The local hazard mitigation plan is the textbook of how we should handle any type of disaster," Robinson said.

Much of the plan focuses on environmental hazards from weather, like flooding, wind damage and severe heat and freezing temperatures.

It identifies the most catastrophic events, like the failure of the Folsom Dam.

It even looks at unlikely events, like the volcanic eruption of Mt. Lassen, which last happened 110 years ago but would cause extensive damage in Sacramento if it occurred again.

"We have to make sure we're that we can think of everything possible, it's tough, that's why we're asking the public to take part in this," Robinson said.

The goal is to also map out evacuation routes and vulnerable critical infrastructure sites before the next disaster happens.

"We don't know what's going to happen, we just want to be ready for when it happens," Robinson said.

The most recent disaster declaration in Sacramento County was just last December, when uncontrolled levee erosion threatened Sherman Island and the Antioch Bridge in the Delta.

The updated county disaster plan is expected to be released late next year.