To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator and Emergency Management Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Sheryl Bratton, 565-2241 Christopher Godley, 565-2052
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Terminate Proclamations of Local Emergency and Local Health Emergency Relating to the Sonoma Complex Fires
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Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution Terminating the Proclamation of Local Emergency (first proclaimed October 9, 2017) and the Proclamation of Local Health Emergency (first proclaimed October 12, 2017) Relating to the Sonoma Complex Fires.
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Executive Summary:
This item requests the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution terminating two proclamations relating to the Sonoma Complex Fires: the Proclamation of a Local Emergency in the Sonoma County Operational Area (first proclaimed October 9, 2017), and the Proclamation of Local Health Emergency (first proclaimed October 12, 2017). The Complex Fires began on Sunday, October 8, 2017, causing extreme property damage and health and safety concerns. The County Administrator proclaimed the Existence of a Local Emergency on October 9, 2017, and the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 17-0389 ratifying that proclamation on October 10, 2017. Separately, on October 12, 2017, the County Health Officer and County Director of Environmental Health jointly proclaimed the existence of a local health emergency, and the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 17-0391 to ratify that joint proclamation on October 17, 2017. Both proclamations have been regularly extended as required and allowed by law. While efforts to fully recover from the fires are ongoing, the County has reached a point in its recovery efforts where the extraordinary powers and procedures available under the emergency proclamations are no longer necessary.
Discussion:
The Complex Fires began on Sunday, October 8, 2017. In response, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated at approximately 12:00 a.m. on Monday, October 9, 2017, to assist with managing the impacts. In the early morning hours on Monday, the County issued advisory evacuation notices to various impacted areas of Sonoma County. Shelter was made available at various locations throughout the County, and first responders were actively engaged in multiple areas throughout the County as the Complex Fires advanced.
The County Administrator/Director of Emergency Services issued a Proclamation of Existence of Local Emergency in Sonoma County Operational Area in the early morning hours of Monday, October 9, 2017, as soon as reports of quickly-moving fires, widespread destruction, and health and safety concerns arrived. Later that day, the County Administrator supplemented that Proclamation and requested state and federal assistance. The Board of Supervisors ratified the County Administrator’s Proclamation of the Existence of a Local Emergency on October 10, 2017. California Government Code section 8630 requires that the County review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 60 days until the governing body terminates the local emergency.
The Governor of the State of California to proclaimed a State of Emergency (declaring eligibility for State assistance) relating to the Complex Fires, and later the President of the United States issued a Declaration of a Major Disaster for the State of California, making the Complex Fires eligible for Federal assistance. At the time, the Complex Fires resulted in the most devastating wildfires in the history of the State of California. In Sonoma County alone, the fires caused the death of at least 24 people, charred 110,720 acres, destroyed 6,950 structures (including 5,143 housing structures), and displaced more than 100,000 Sonoma County residents.
Due to imminent and substantial hazardous waste and debris concerns and other public health hazards, the County Health Officer and County Director of Environmental Health on October 12, 2017, jointly proclaimed the existence of a local health emergency. On October 17, 2017, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma adopted Resolution No. 17-0391 to ratify that joint proclamation. The Board of Supervisors subsequently took formal actions to extend the proclamation of local health emergency as required by law. On December 19, 2017, the Governor of the State of California issued Executive Order B-45-17, ordering that the extension requirements for local health emergency proclamations related to the Complex Fires would be waived and that such local health emergencies would remain in effect until terminated by each respective local governing authority.
The Complex Fires left a large debris field in their wake, creating unique removal concerns due to the potential presence of hazardous materials and the large scale of the incident, all of which created a threat to public health and safety. Debris cleanup has proceeded via both a public program (done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and a private, alternative option. A total number of 4,888 properties required such debris removal, including 3,674 properties that participated in the public-cleanup program, and 1,214 properties that individually undertook their own debris removal.
The public debris clean-up program is complete. Required debris removal from those property owners who opted in the alternative private option has been completed, with the exception that two properties have yet to obtain final testing and approvals.
On December 11, 2018, the Board approved the Recovery & Resiliency Framework, a vision and approach for how the County will recover and emerge more resilient from the Sonoma Complex Fires. Office of Recovery & Resiliency staff, in coordination with County departments and agencies and governmental and non-governmental partners, is actively working Framework implementation.
As of September 10, 2019, the combined County and City permit departments had 2,373 building permits issued; 214 permits were in the combined permit review process; and a combined 866 homes have finished construction. In total, there have been 3,453 rebuild homes, or 67% of the homes lost in the fires, that are somewhere in the rebuilding process either by submitting for a permit, having had a permit issued, or have already finished construction. 16.8% of the homes have finished.
Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention Division, in coordination with Cal Fire and several local Fire Districts, are in the midst of conducting seasonal outreach, education, and inspections for compliance with defensible space/hazardous fuels reduction regulations, and will perform abatement as necessary. As of August 29, 2019, Sonoma County staff and contracted inspectors from several local Fire Districts have conducted a total of 2,011 inspections (1,566 on improved parcels and 445 on parcels without improvements). The compliance rate relative to County Ordinance was 42.3% for improved parcels and 48.1% for unimproved parcels.
While efforts to fully recover from the Complex Fires are ongoing, the County has reached a point in its recovery efforts-especially in light of debris cleanup now being complete-where extraordinary emergency powers are no longer needed and standard County processes and resources are sufficient for addressing remaining needs.
Sonoma Ready Day was held on Sunday, September 8, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The event offered emergency resources, demonstrations, short lectures, emergency vehicle displays and tools to educate and empower community members to withstand and recover from emergencies. 5,000 people participated in the event and 2,400 “go bags” were distributed free to the public. 67 resource tables were available and the public remained throughout the whole event.
As of September 17, 2019, FEMA has approved five Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Grants (HMGP Fire Grants). These grants are for: (1) a Generator Installation at County Road Maintenance Yard with a total eligible cost of $248,988 with a 75 percent federal share or $186,741; (2) a Sonoma County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) Update with a total eligible cost of $333,333 with a 75 percent ($250,000) federal share; (3) a County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update with a total eligible cost of $150,000, with a 75 percent ($112,500) federal share; (4) for a Sonoma County Water Agency Ely Booster Station Structural Retrofit with a total eligible cost of $3,075,823 with a 75 percent ($2,306,867) federal share; and (5) for a Sonoma County Water Agency Russian River County Sanitation District Secondary Treatment Clarifiers Seismic Rehabilitation and Retrofit with a total eligible cost of $2,984,536 with a 75 percent ($2,238,402) federal share. Additional County requested HMGP grants have been recommended for approval to FEMA by CalOES.
Staff recommend that the Board adopt the attached Resolution terminating the subject emergencies, as is required by Government Code section 8630 and Health and Safety Code section 101080, at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
Prior Board Actions:
Resolutions Declaring the Need for Continuing the Local Emergency Pursuant to Government Code 8360 due to the Sonoma Complex Fires:
August 20, 2019, Resolution No. 19-0336
July 9, 2019, Resolution No. 19-0275
May 21, 2019, Resolution No. 19-0227
April 2, 2019, Resolution No. 19-0134
January 8, 2019, Resolution No. 19-0007
December 11, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0514
November 13, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0490
October 23, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0450
September 25, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0395
August 28, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0337
August 7, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0301
July 10, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0266
June 11, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0248
June 5, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0224
May 8, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0161
April 17, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0131
March 20, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0095
February 20, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0068
February 13, 2018, Resolution N0. 18-0056
January 23, 2018, Resolution No. 18-0022
December 29, 2017, Resolution No. 17-0515
December 5, 2017, Resolution No. 17-0457
November 7, 2017, Resolution No. 17-0431
October 10, 2017, Resolution No. 17-0389 ratifying the County Administrator’s proclamation of the existence of a local emergency with the Sonoma County Operation Area.
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Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board: