Neighbors

Now we know better. The next time we warn ourselves to be prepared for a big disaster we’d better listen to ourselves and be prepared to take it seriously, right? In late spring we warned this could be a record fire season, enabled by the multi-year drought, hotter weather and uncertain funding for sufficient firefighting forces. Editorials here and elsewhere quoted local fire officials, posting repeated warnings to clear a “defensible perimeter” and practice disaster relief drills. The big disaster the next time could be us, we warned.
Well, the worst case scenario is happening — and California’s fire season still has many weeks to go. Already, 700,000 acres have burned up and down the state, with the unprecedented loss of thousands of homes, tragic fatalities and many years of recovery and rebuilding ahead of us.
Of course, our main focus here is on our neighbors across the Lake County line in the communities of Cobb and Middletown. With 4,000 firemfighters still battling the remnants of the Valley Fire, the toll of personal and property loss has barely begun to be tallied. Almost a thousand people with destroyed homes remain camped in disaster relief centers. These people, our neighbors, have no idea what will happen to them next. And, for many, it may be years before they return to what can be called a “normal life.”
Big disasters — and the 75,871-acre Valley Fire qualifies as one of the biggest ever — are always accompanied by stories of big response action, local heroics and big outpourings of help and support.
This time there were three dominant stories. First, our first responders of local volunteer firefighters, regional battalions and overall mobilized resources saved lives and properties in unknown numbers. Second, the attack by Cal Fire and a full arsenal of other government firefighting resources was astounding to watch in action, where just a few years ago we were cutting their budgets and ranks. And third, the ongoing response by neighbors of the victims of the Valley Fire is the story that will continue to develop even as the last embers of the fire are doused.
Neighbors are the most important part of this story, even as we salute the bravest of our firefighters and other disaster responders. Why? Because it will take the caring, support, understanding and monetary donations of thousands of neighbors. Only neighbors, donating labor, materials and encouragement, can rebuild 1,000 destroyed homes.
This story already has begun, of course, with almost $1 million raised by the Red Cross and a designated relief fund at Redwood Credit Union. Local schools such as El Molino in Forestville and others have “adopted” the Middletown Mustangs and are helping schools in nearby Cobb and elsewhere. Local elected officials such as State Senator Mike McGuire and Fourth District Supervisor James Gore have led relief fund events for the Valley Fire victims.
Neighbors are also our best resource for preparing for the next possible disaster that could strike anywhere during this remaining high alert fire season. It will take neighbors — us and ours — planning and communicating together to have a neighborhood emergency response plan.
In Sebastopol and a few other communities, there is an excellent model for this, called the Community Emergency Response Team (www.sebastopolcert.org.) The volunteers have been self-trained and organized, mostly following FEMA training guidelines. The Sebastopol group’s work is an excellent primer for others to organize a neighborhood plan.
Let’s keep helping our Lake County neighbors and let’s be sure we know how to take action in our own neighborhoods, too, now that we know better.
— Rollie Atkinson