Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette 3-19

Debris Removal Resources for Flood Recovery
To assist residents and
businesses affected by
Russian River flooding,
Sonoma County
Transportation and
Public Works Department
in collaboration with
Recology will provide two
debris removal clean-up
events over the next two
weekends. In addition,
Sonoma County Waste
Management Agency will
provide the opportunity to
dispose of toxic materials
at one location on
Tuesday, March 12th, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Who Will Save Us When the Huge Fire Comes?
“Clearing out flood debris will help residents take the first step to recovery. Bring us your water-damaged debris to avoid issues down the line, like mold,” shared Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. “The collaboration between Recology and the County is an example of a public-private partnership which allows us to provide services to the community that would otherwise be out of reach.”
We have seen people trying to evacuate with only seconds or minutes notice, only to crash their cars in a state of panic, or have to abandon them and literally run for their lives due to traffic jams. We have seen our own cell, television, and internet services fail. We live in a high risk area with few first responders who have limited resources, and even fewer evacuation routes. We all need to be prepared.
NON-TOXIC FLOOD DEBRIS DISPOSAL
A few weeks ago, I met with Russian River Fire Protection District Acting Chief Ryan Lantz, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Volunteer Coordinator, Marilyn Fox, to learn more about what we need to be prepared.
Saturday, February 23 from 8 am. to 1 pm Mirabel Park and Ride
The CERT program is a local volunteer program, in which local residents receive FEMA training to assist others in their community during a major disaster, when professional responders are not immediately available. They are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search
and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. They may be called upon by the sponsoring local government agency to assist in the event of an emergency. The local sponsoring agency for our CERT volunteers is the Russian River Fire Protection District. Please visit their website for more info at russianriverfire.org.
(located on the southwestern corner of the Mirabel Road and River Road intersection).
Saturday, March 2 8: am. to 1 pm.
Guerneville Park and Ride (located on the north side of Hwy. 116/River
Road, between Brookside Lane and Gabes Rock Road).
Items that will be accepted:
General trash and other non-hazardous debris/materials originating from the flood event only. Please do not mix hazardous and toxic materials with debris. No after- hours dumping will be permitted.
Our local CERT program is relatively new. At this time, we have about 20 local CERT volunteers between Forestville and Cazadero, who have received the FEMA training. They are actively recruiting for more volunteers to cover all neighborhoods in the Lower River area. While anyone who wishes to volunteer is welcome and appreciated, it would be especially helpful if we could get more younger generation volunteers involved in fire services. I heard someone recently say “They just don’t make them like Baxman anymore.” Volunteering can help young people who may be interested in later pursuing a career as a first responder.
Items that will not be accepted:
Hazardous materials or other toxics. A list of toxic materials is below.
TOXIC MATERIALS COLLECTION (Appointments Required) Tuesday, March 12 from 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Please call 707-795-2025 option 3 or 1-877-747-1870 to schedule an appointment. Once
you have an appointment, you will be given the location.
Common Toxic Materials Accepted:
Besides more volunteers, the CERT program needs funding. They have a donated trailer for equipment and supplies, however they have no funding source at this time, no equipment, and no supplies. They provided a list of basic equipment and supplies needed, with a total cost of about $8,100. The Russian River Alliance non-profit has applied for three separate small grants to try and help raise some of the funds needed (two applications were for TOT community grant programs).
• Propane cylinders 5 gallons and smaller
• Batteries
• Oil and fuel
• Syringes in FDA approved sharps containers • Flammable liquids and solids
• visit recyclenow.org/toxics/toxics.asp for more items that will be accepted.
Not Accepted:
If you would like to donate to help these volunteers with the basic equipment and supplies they may need to literally save our lives in the
event of a major fire or other disaster, please send a check made payable to the Russian River Fire Protection District (noting to be used for the CERT program), attention to Acting Chief Ryan Lantz, PO Box 367, Guerneville, Ca. 95446.
• Electronics
• Explosives or ammunition
• Radioactive materials
• Biological wastes (except syringes) • Controlled substances
For information on how to handle household hazardous materials: recyclenow.org/toxics/comm_toxics_collect.asp
44 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 3/19
Part 2 in April will focus on the needs of the Russian River Fire Protection District. Please take the time to share this information with your family, friends, and neighbors. Let’s get prepared together!
If you would like to learn more about the Lower River Area Community Alliances, become involved as a volunteer, or if you have some community concerns or solutions you would like to share, you can “like” our Guerneville Community Alliance and/or Russian River Alliance FB pages, or visit our website at www.russianriveralliance.org. You can also contact Jeniffer Wertz at 707-483-7038 (Guerneville), or Chuck Ramsey at 707-239-1639 (Monte Rio).
Part 1 – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Yes, I intentionally asked WHEN, rather than IF. I hope I have gotten your attention, because this could literally make the difference between life and death for many of us in this community.
We all saw what happened within about 15-20 miles of us less than two years ago, followed by all of the major fires within the State last summer, and ultimately the unbelievable reality of a fire that was twice as destructive as ours, basically taking out the whole town of Paradise. Here is our new reality, which scientists have been jumping up and down trying to warn us about for more than two decades. It’s here now, and it’s real. These new fires have been said to be able to move huge walls of flames at up to about 60 mph, destroying everything in their path.