Thousands of Residents Forced to Evacuate
Thousands of residents in Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties were forced to evacuate their homes in the middle of the night as an estimated 10 fires burned uncontrolled across the North Coast, driven by strong winds that for hours fueled the fires and forced entire communities to flee. 2-1-1 Alameda County is in contact with our 2-1-1 Bay Area partners to offer any needed assistance and support. We are staffed and ready to help.
For people forced from their homes, the American Red Cross has been supporting evacuation centers and providing safe shelters while they wait until the danger has passed. Red Cross volunteers are on hand at the locations listed below to provide lodging, meals, health services, comfort, and more for affected residents.
Everyone is urged to follow evacuation orders from local law enforcement, and individuals and families under evacuation orders because of wildfires and in need of shelter assistance are encouraged to simply show up at one of the shelters for help.
Information and Referral
Sonoma County: Call 2-1-1 or 707-565-2108 or 800-325-9604 (toll-free)
Napa, Marin, Solano Counties: Call 2-1-1 or the toll-free number 800-273-6222
Contact the Emergency Public Information Hotline for the County of Sonoma at 707-565-3856, or visit the website at sonomacounty.ca.gov, for information regarding evacuations, shelters, school closures, health and safety issues, where to go for help, etc.
Visit http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell to reconnect with loved ones that might be missing during a disaster. The Safe and Well website is an easy-to-use online tool to help families and individuals notify loved ones that they are safe during an emergency.
Air Quality
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing a smoke advisory for Monday, October 09, 2017 due to heavy smoke from wildfires in the North Bay counties is causing very unhealthy air quality throughout the entire region. Smoke is moving into other parts of the Bay Area due to winds.
Bay Area residents impacted by wildfire smoke are advised to:
• Limit outdoor activities to avoid unnecessary exposure if you smell smoke
• Set air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from moving inside
• Reduce exposure to smoky air by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed, if possible
• If you cannot keep windows and doors closed due to high temperatures, seek out cooling centers in your area
• Stay tuned to local media for changes in smoke or weather conditions
Please do not call 911 to report smoke, and only call for life-threatening emergencies. For everything else, call 2-1-1!
The full press release is available here:
www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/communications-and-outreach/publications/news-releases/2017/smoke_171009-pdf
How To Volunteer
Trained Red Cross volunteers are currently staffing shelters and supporting residents. As the disaster continues to evolve, the Red Cross will assess how community volunteers can best support the operation. Those interested in volunteering to support Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino wildfire relief efforts, can sign up: http://tinyurl.com/RedCrossVolOctober2017
Locations of shelters
A new evacuation center has opened at:
Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA. At this time, small animals are allowed at this center.
Napa County
CrossWalk Church, 2590 First St, Napa (FULL)
Napa Valley Community College, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa
Mendocino County
Ukiah High School, 1000 Low Gap Rd, Ukiah
Willits Community Center, 111 E Commercial St, Willits
Lake County
Twin Pine Casino, 22223 CA-29, Middletown, (FULL)
Grace Church, 6716 Live Oak Drive, Kelseyville
Sonoma County
Visit https://t.co/BP59DCijWZ or http://tinyurl.com/y8lkvjue for the most updated list of Sonoma County shelter locations.