UPDATE: Tuesday, Oct. 29
In a Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 29 video update from the city of Healdsburg Healdsburg Mayor David Hagele, Healdsburg City Manager David Mickaelian and Healdsburg Police Chief Chief Burke provided an update on repopulations considerations and the status of the city.
As of Oct. 29 the mandatory evacuation for the city of Healdsburg still remains in effect. However, the northern part of the Dry Creek Valley was downgraded to an evacuation warning according to a 2:16 p.m. Nixle that was sent on Oct. 29 (To view the notification visit nixle.us/BE3WE).
“Right now the most important thing that we as a community can do is to stay out of this area to allow the first responders to do what they need to without having us in the way,” Mayor David Hagele said.
Mickaelian noted that there is still a red flag warning and that he has no new information on repopulation considerations.
“I don’t have any information about re-population… it likely won’t happen today,” Mickaelian said. “It is important to understand that the city is still without power, PG&E turned off our gas as well, so they still have to re-energize the lines and get gas.”
He asked folks to remain patient.
“As this area becomes safe CalFire, the sheriff’s office and the city of Healdsburg will start moving in that direction (of considering repopulation,” Mickaelian said.
Chief Burke said of repopulation, “This community is nothing without its people. We miss our friends, we miss our neighbors, our visitors, our businesses and its people. The moment that we can repopulate this city we will do that.”
Mickaelian was happy to report that there has been no fire damage to the city proper.
“There was fire all around us… things got pretty interesting Sunday night, but at this point the city is doing great, your critical staff are here making sure thingsare running well,” Mickaelian said.
Oct. 28
In a city of Healdsburg Facebook video posted Monday afternoon, Oct. 28, Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke discussed what the considerations are for re-population and what the police department is doing to keep the city safe.
“We’ve got a significant law-enforcement presence in the city,” Burke said.
Burk said this involves patrol aid from numerous agencies across the Bay Area.
“This still remains an active fire, there are still wind events predicted, so it is still a very dynamic situation and safety is our number one priority,” he said, noting that the evacuation still remains in effect.
Burke said repopulation is a thoughtful consideration made by the CalFire incident team and the county sheriff.
“A lot of things are taken into consideration,” he said. “For our part the city has been working to remove debris and work with our infrastructure so that when we do get the word, which is assessed day by day, we’ll be able to do that rather quickly. We are prepared for that, but again it is an active dynamic situation, so that decision has not been made.”
Burke said repopulation will be assessed again tomorrow, Oct 29.
“We ask for your patience in that regard,” he said.
In a letter to the community that was posted on the city’s Facebook page, Healdsburg City Manager David Mickaelian said, “We do not know yet when the Sonoma Sheriff, in conjunction with CalFire, will lift the evacuation order and allow the city to re-populate. It is important to note that as I type, there is still a very active fire in the area. There will also be a Red Flag Warning starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow followed by high winds. I also want to stress that the evacuation order will not be lifted until it is safe to return to the area.”
Mickaelian said as the city gets notice of repopulating, city officials will provide helpful tips to consider when returning to homes and businesses.
Mickaelian said in the letter, “I again want to thank all of you for going through an unprecedented event for our city. This is an incredible community.”
