ALERTS & UPDATES

September, 9 2021

Attention Members: CalFire and the National Weather Service have issued a Red Flag Warning beginning September 9 (today) through September 10 (tomorrow). Areas of potential impact include, East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range; East Bay Interior Valleys; North Bay Interior Valleys; North Bay Mountains. Dry lightning as well as gusty/erratic wind potential is anticipated in these areas this afternoon through Friday morning.

What This Means

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Immediate Weather Impacts You Should Know

Upper level moisture continues to increase over the region from south to north. The sub-tropical moisture will interact with an upper level disturbance moving in from the west. Thunderstorm chances increase late this afternoon into early Friday morning as the disturbance moves inland. Thunderstorms will be a mix of wet and dry, but given how dry the fuels are any lightning strikes will be problematic. The threat for thunderstorms diminishes early Friday as the moisture exits eastward.

WINDS: Gusty and erratic winds are possible near any showers or thunderstorms.
LIGHTNING: Isolated to scattered thunderstorms may develop late this afternoon and continue overnight into Friday morning. Fast-moving storms may produce dry lightning.

August 17, 2021

Sonoma County is presently under a Red Flag Warning from 11:00 PM tonight (Tuesday) through 11:00 AM tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Additionally, we have received updates from the County of Sonoma that PG&E is likely to issue a PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff), that is set to impact around 1,800 Sonoma County residents this evening, including largely the Sonoma Valley.

This information changes quickly, and the information provided in this email could be out of date. SVVGA encourages you to visit www.pge.com/pspsupdates and enter your address to find out if you may be impacted but the power shutoffs, and for the most up to date information. Entering your address is the most accurate way to find out if your residence of business is impacted.

Sonoma Valley Areas of Impact

Some residents in the hills east of Highway 12 from Calistoga Road/St. Helena Road in the North though Pythian, Nelligan, Cavedale/Trinity
North east of Sonoma in the Moon Mountain area, Norrbom, and Gehricke Roads
West of Arnold/Highway 12, the areas in/near Jack London State Park and Sonoma Mountain including North/upper Diamond A area and the west side of the mountain will be impacted as well

When can I anticipate the PSPS?

It is estimated that shutoffs may happen between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM tonight, with restoration currently estimated at 2:00 PM tomorrow.

Resource Centers in Sonoma Valley

There will be a Community Resource Center in Sonoma at the First Congregational Church of Sonoma at 252 W Spain Street, and one in the Montgomery Village area in East Santa Rosa at the Presbyterian Church of the Roses at 2500 Patio Ct.
These Community Resource Centers will be open until 10:00 PM Tuesday (today) and open at 8:00 AM Wednesday (tomorrow) for those without power to charge their devices and get updates from PG&E.

Impacting Weather

A period of gusty, offshore winds and low humidity are expected late Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon. The areas of greatest concern are the North Bay Mountains. There is the potential these stronger winds and low humidity could also spread into the interior hills of Sonoma County and into the East Bay Hills/Diablo Range of Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Even if you don’t lose power, it is possible that you may lose internet service if your service is provided by Comcast, within hours of the power being shut off. For more information, you can visit https://california.comcast.com/psps/

May 27, 2021

Cal Fire has officially declared fire season for the state of California and the North Bay. California has already experienced a significant amount of wildfires, compared to this time last year. With the significant drought and summer months approaching, SVVGA encourages you, your families, employees and business operation to be prepared, and to remain vigilant this fire season.

Below are critical resources to assist in your preparedness. Additionally, the below new information can be found in our SVVGA Weekly E-Newsletter under the Fire Preparedness section on Mondays, and in the closed SVVGA Members Facebook Group, as needed. SVVGA will continue to update the membership through the season.

Know Your Zone

The County of Sonoma and its incorporated cities have re-established standardized evacuation zones for the County of Sonoma (in past years, evacuation zones differed by incident). Follow the links below to identify and familiarize yourself with the re-organized zone(s) that you both live and work in.

Sonoma County Evacuations Map

In the event of a public safety situation, law enforcement and fire agencies issue evacuation warnings or evacuation orders for impacted areas. These notices are issued with a Zone ID and Zone status. To know more about evacuation zones and emergency preparedness, visit beprepared.zonehaven.com.

Alerts

There are a number of different alert systems in place to receive real-time alerts and updates about incidents and emergencies.

1) Nixle Alerts – text 888-777 to opt in.

2) SoCo Alert – notification by phone call, text, and email.

In the event of an evacuation or local emergency County Officials will use SoCoAlert to reach residents who have previously signed up. You must register for emergency notifications at socoalert.com to receive evacuations notices by phone call, text, and/or email. Evacuation notices sent through SoCoAlert will use specific terminology to alert registered residents to an emergency, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with that terminology (Nixle uses similar terminology).

3) Closed Members Facebook Group – critical alerts and updates will also be made to SVVGA’s Members Only Facebook Group, if you have not already joined this group we encourage you to request to join.

4) Watch Duty App – Watch Duty gives you real-time information about fire movement and firefighting efforts nearby. Monitor the situation and make informed decisions when seconds count. Get photos and push notifications of conditions on the ground

Fire & Emergency Resources

Sonoma County Fire Incident Map

SoCo Road Closures

North Bay Wildfire Cameras

Red Cross Recommendations for Emergency Kit

FELS: Cal/OSHA Wildfire Smoke Regulation Compliance Resources – employers must protect workers from exposure to wildfire smoke under the following conditions:

An Air Quality Index (AQI) greater than 150 (Hazardous for Sensitive Groups) resulting from the presence of particulate matter of 2.5 microns or smaller (the regulation is not triggered by the presence of other pollutants that may result in an AQI of 150 or greater (ozone, for example); and,
The employer should “reasonably anticipate” that employees may be exposed to wildfire smoke.

HALTER Org – HALTER provides first responders and their communities with information and resources for animal emergencies.

Preparedness Fact Sheets from PG&E

Community Wildfire Safety Program

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Public Safety Power Shutoff Criteria

Other Resources

Ag Passes

Coming soon.

Evacuation Centers

Coming soon.

Animal Shelters – available for emergency boarding

The HALTER Project (aka Julie Atwood) is able to enter hot zones to conduct welfare checks on animals sheltered in place. The HALTER Project is set up to bring water, feed and assess conditions. They are also working with SCAS, and have access to local veterinarians and UCD VERT team. For complete information click here.

Horses/Livestock

The Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds
Vallejo Fairgrounds
South Bay Horse Ranch
Napa County Fairgrounds
Solano County Fairgrounds
SPCA Solano County

Small Animals

Marin Humane Society
Napa County Animal Shelter
Second Chance Conure Rescue
Sonoma County Animal Services (also providing no-cost veterinary care to animals affected by the fire)