Do not allow children to play in the ash and wash off children’s toys before children play with them. Immediately wash any part of your body that touches ash to avoid irritation. The best protection for children is to keep them indoors to reduce their exposure until ash has been removed. Wash fruits and vegetables … Continued
Fire ash may be irritating to the skin, nose, and throat, and may cause coughing and/or nose bleeds. Fine particles can be inhaled deeply into lungs and may aggravate asthma and make it difficult to breathe. If the ash contains asbestos, nickel, arsenic or cadmium, then exposure is a particular concern because these substances can … Continued
Sensitive People People with asthma or other lung diseases, pregnant women, and the elderly or very young should exercise special caution because they may be more susceptible to health effects from the ash. Children Do not allow children to play in ash. Wash and clean all children’s toys carefully after possible contamination. Children should not … Continued
When we experience a disaster, people react with increased anxiety, worry and anger. With community and family support, most of us bounce back. Some of us, however, may need extra assistance to cope with unfolding events and uncertainties. Everyone, even the people that others look up to for guidance and assistance, is entitled to their … Continued
Install straw wattles to prevent debris, ash and erosion from flowing into waterways. Straw wattles can be picked-up from local hardware stores. For more information, go to https://www.sonomacountyrecovers.org/rain-ready/ If you see something (flooding, mud and debris flows), say something – call 911 Monitor your surroundings, and have an emergency plan in place. Stay informed: Listen … Continued
As of November 7th, there are no more temporary shelters open. If you’re in need of housing, please visit: https://www.sonomacountyrecovers.org/housing-opportunities/
Cleaning and sanitizing your household after an emergency is important to help prevent the spread of illness and disease. Clean and sanitize surfaces in a four-step process Wash with soap and hot, clean water. Rinse with clean water. Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 1 cup (8 oz/240 mL) of unscented … Continued
Frequently clean indoor surfaces and follow by wet mopping to reduce exposure to ash indoors. Use only high efficiency particulate air (HEPA-filter) vacuum cleaners. Shop vacuums and other common vacuum cleaners do not filter out small particles, but instead can put particles back into the air where they can be inhaled. For more information: Returning to … Continued
The following guidelines are recommended for the maintenance of pools impacted by smoke and ash contamination or fire damage. Do not allow use of the pool until the following steps have been completed: Clean skimmer baskets of debris and skim water surface of pool with pool net to remove floating debris. Brush sides and bottom … Continued
After a fire, windborne material such as ash and soil from paddocks with inadequate ground cover may be blown into streams. Once in the water, organic materials provide ideal food for bacteria and algae. These organisms grow rapidly using up all free oxygen in the water (it becomes anaerobic) and putrefaction results. Symptoms are dark … Continued
