Power was out in many Petaluma neighborhoods for a few days over the weekend and into the start of the work week and it remains an ongoing major issue for hundreds of thousands of North Bay residents, many of whom have been struggling with problematic everyday necessities that require electricity, light and heat, including the basic ability to shower and keep warm and prevent sewage systems from backing up.
In my house we filled coolers with ice and cooked supper on the gas top of our stove by candlelight and headlamp. I discovered the fastest way to send my husband to sleep — reading to him after dark by flashlight.
It has certainly not been a good week in our Sonoma County's natural history, yet when friends and family outside the area call or text or email to ask how we're doing, those of us who have not been amongst the 185,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders in the stubborn and destructive path of the Kincade Fire, are, for the most part, simply grateful to say "we're okay". And we're most certainly stronger together. Again.
Today, Wednesday October 30th, the fire has burned around 76,000 acres and is reportedly 30 percent contained. It has damaged or destroyed about 200 homes and other buildings. Pacific Gas & Electric reported 365,000 homes and businesses without power earlier today after it cut electricity to specific areas in an effort to avoid starting more new wildfires. Only those who live closer to the fire are still evacuated, though residents in areas where there are spot fire fears are still on evacuation alert. This still equates to more than 32,000 people.
Cal Fire chiefs hope to have the blaze fully contained by November 7th thanks to an army of 5,000 brave and tireless firefighters. Small businesses are amongst the worst hit by power outages, with restaurants and cafes and grocery stores such as my favorite Petaluma Market and my friends at the Redwood Cafe in Cotati and Aqus Cafe and Tea Room Cafe in Petaluma and many others having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively of fresh and frozen foods on top of lost revenue. The market, Redwood, Aqus and Tea Room are all reopened. Do stop in for tea, coffee, a beer or wine and something to eat soon. Looking forward to friends at Jimtown Store being able to get back home to the Alexander Valley soon, I hope to brighten the horizon with warmth and comfort and nourishment for those who have lost homes and wineries in that beautiful part of wine country that was so badly ravaged.
The good news is, heroic efforts by legions of firefighters from Cal Fire and from all over the State and around the country have reportedly so far prevented any loss of life which is close to miraculous considering the tragic stories that emerged two years ago from the devastating Tubbs Fire. County Supervisor David Rabbitt reported this week that of the 549 fire engines currently working the Kincade Fire on Monday, 75 were from State of Oregon, 35 from the State of Washington, 20 from the State of Montana, 10 from the State of Utah, 5 from the State of New Mexico, and 5 from the State of Idaho.
Roadblocks on Highway 101 have now been lifted this afternoon for residents of Windsor, Healdsburg Geyserville and Santa Rosa to return home.
Yesterday I volunteered for a lunch time shift at the evacuation center on the Petaluma Fairgrounds. It was humbling to say the least, in large part due to the remarkable coming together of our community to take in thousands of people displaced by the fire. Many of these folk were elderly, disabled, medically dependent and without friends or family in the area or the resources to stay in a hotel. It's not going to be an instant return home for many. Aside from those who are sleeping on Red Cross cots in tight rows in the fairgrounds main exhibition hall, many others were camped out in tents and in their vehicles on the fairgrounds lawn. With temperatures dropping below freezing last night, the need for extra blankets and sleeping bags ramped up and even if they don't yet have power back on at home, it'll be warmer inside than out.
I was most impressed by the number of medical staff on site, many local nurses and doctors are volunteering their time as are numerous health care professionals here from outside the area. It was astounding to see the amount of people lining up for lunch nursing broken limbs in casts, slings and boots and crutches as well as in wheelchairs. Getting out of the more remote parts of the county during mandatory evacuation orders must have been such an added trial for the physically impaired, surely.
One of the elderly people who stopped to chat with me told me, tearfully, that she had been lost driving from the west county with limited gas until she was pointed in the direction of Petaluma by a fireman. When she finally found her way to Petaluma she had no clue what to do next. Finally, a nice person who found her dazed and confused outside of a 7-Eleven store, directed her to the fairgrounds.
"I don't know what I would have done without this place," she said. "I don't know why I am still here." She told me how she'd been in the Haight Ashbury district in San Francisco in the '60s and had traveled the country with musicians including the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin. "I've had a hard life," she said. "I know a lot, but I forget," she added, saying that she hoped to go home soon but not at night. "I can't drive at night, I'll get lost again."
Another woman, also in her '70s, declared she had not eaten as well as she is doing in the shelter, in the past 20 years. A long-time vegetarian, she decided to try the delicious meat dishes being served by volunteers, set out in big trays on long, trestle tables in Herzog Hall. Meanwhile, Petaluma homegrown musician Sebastian Saint James of the North Bay's popular Highway Poets was strumming his guitar and singing as shelter evacuees of all ages enjoyed a delicious and nutritious lunch partially generously provided that day by Cucina Paradiso of downtown's popular restaurant row. There are plenty of dietary options, yet this elderly evacuee has seen her stay at the shelter as an opportunity to remind herself what meat tastes like, though she'll go back to eating a meatless diet when she gets home, she said. "Oh, it tasted so good!"
Petaluma based chef Amber Balshaw of Preferred Sonoma Caterers opened her commercial kitchen on east D Street to her awesome volunteer crew to prepare and cook initial meals during the ramping up of the shelter and has been at it ever since with the help of several other energized chefs in the area. Miriam Donaldson of Wishbone proved herself a natural born leader in calmly coordinating much of the efforts in the kitchen at Herzog Hall, which, by the way, was badly in need of emergency upgrades, some of which happened in real time as meals rolled in. We're famous for our farm fresh food and hospitality here in the south county and it's evident that this is not the typical shelter fare being served up three times a day. Local educator and musician Arann Harris drove dozens of trips from the PSC kitchen to Herzog Hall with prepared meals in his van throughout the week.
Foxes in the Henhouse front woman and aesthetician Pamela Joyce found herself in the core of the Herzog meal crew this week after answering a call on social media in the early hours of Sunday morning from friend and community leader, Petaluma Visitors Program Director Marie McCusker, who was one of the first locals to hit the ground running as evacuees from the north started pouring into the city. Marie's knowledge and experience with crowd management and events are second to none, but it's her passion for taking care of people that is infectious.
"One of the biggest challenges in the kitchen was keeping hot coffee supplies going in the cold, early mornings," shared Pamela. Antiquated commercial coffee makers were not up to the task. "Nell, from Casa Grande High School showed up with fresh coffee like she was a mind reader," Pamela added. "Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts also stepped in." The health department checked in every day to insure meals were up to code. If there had been any problems, the Red Cross would have stepped in and the food would undoubtedly have been considerably less exciting.
Across town, Sonoma Family Meal continues its tireless and remarkable work feeding thousands of fire surviving displaced families with a team of volunteers under the tireless leadership of non-profit CEO and award-winning Sonoma County food writer Heather Irwin.
Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) has its work cut out for it every day of the year, without the added stress of wildfires. And yet, this dedicated, humanitarian non-profit has opened its doors to even more people this week offering its day use services to evacuees. A hot shower and laundry facilities are a godsend at this time. The team at Seared Steakhouse in Downtown Petaluma I just heard shut shop for a couple of days to cater to 500 extra people at COTS. Also, the Swim Center opened its doors for showers.
There are several other shelters running at capacity in the city of Petaluma this week thanks to the community-wide effort to house as many people as possible. Each shelter has its network of motivated and generous people who make this the extraordinary refuge that it is. I spoke to a woman who was evacuated from her family's multi-generational ranch west of Windsor. She was in charge of several senior citizens within her extended clan. They had never had cause to leave their ranch for any length of time prior to this historic mass movement of people. "I'm a bit of a hermit," the younger woman confessed. "I have to say I've enjoyed being here and helping others and spending time with all the kitties."
PG&E is to be held financially accountable for the mass impact of disruption throughout the region, according to an impassioned California Governor, Gavin Newsom who has been a familiar face at fire scenes and in emergency operations locations and shelters around the county. We can only hope so, though it will be a challenge. If you've been evacuated and you've lost work pay or your business has suffered due to outages, it's important to keep as many records as you're able right now.
Governor Newsom announced the launch of a new state website, RESPONSE.CA.GOV this week, which serves as a one-stop portal for tools and resources available to Californians who have been impacted by wildfires and utility-directed power shutoffs, as well as community and business partnerships to support residents impacted by the wildfires and the shutoffs.
Next we need to figure out locally, regionally and throughout the West how to prepare for a warmer, dryer future. It is an ongoing emergency that we must anticipate by better managing our landscape, further strengthening and connecting our communities, lowering emissions, reducing waste for starters.
Halloween is tomorrow and though I'm not seeing nearly as much elaborate decorating taking place in the front yards and Victorian-era porches of historic West Petaluma than is typical for this city's favorite holiday, the show is clearly going on in several of the more stalwart trick-or-treat host homes in my extended neighborhood. The fact that kids are out of school at least until Monday throughout the county due to the poor air quality and number of evacuees and the general concern for keeping families safely together boosts the need for some old-fashioned Halloween fun, albeit in breathing masks. Don't forget to stock up on last minute candies if you're in a secure zone typically popular with costumed little ones. Keeping things as normal as possible is hard to do, yet key for everyone as long as we're not putting anyone in any immediate danger.
We're used to unusually high levels of community spirit and compassion in Petaluma but not everyone has experienced living and working in such a unique city. After meeting volunteer Scott, featured in a short video interview here, I was reminded how great a place it is. And also, that the unsung heroes (including Scott) are so often overlooked in emergency relief efforts. Scott is here for at least a week from the Central Valley. If you see him around town before or after his volunteer shifts, do thank him for his selfless service. I hope he gets to go home soon.
WHAT'S NEEDED NOW
Petaluma People Services has been at the helm of our local emergency response. What an inspiring organization, headed by the ever calm and super capable executive director, Elece Hempel. It's PPS that is staffing the shelter donation drop-off location at the Kenilworth Teen Center, 150 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma, next to the library.
If you'd like to volunteer/donate toward ongoing fire relief efforts in the Petaluma shelters, here's Petaluma People Services' current needs list, updated on 10/30
Or, make an online donation (http://petalumapeople.org/donate) and Petaluma People Services will make targeted purchases of donations for the shelters. It's disappointing to be turned away with well-meant donations, but don't drop off perishable food or any food other than what is requested, or used clothing, used bedding or used pillows. We're starting to become more familiar with the Red Cross requirements for shelter donations, unfortunately, given the number of times our community has been called to rally, but it's a good thing to be able to know exactly how best to direct our dollars and time.
Items still needed:
Dry Shampoo
Batteries
Hydrocortisone Cream
Sweet'n Low
Sugar Packets
Steel Wool
Large Jars of Jelly
Fruit Cups
Sleeping Bags
4 Walking Canes (Comment below or text 529-1201 if you get these, please)
People who want to volunteer can fill out our online application here: https://tinyurl.com/PPSC-volunteer
Click here for Sonoma Magazine's comprehensive guide to how to volunteer and donate county wide.
