What a year this has been. First Covid, then the Walbridge and Meyers Fires, and now the Glass Fire have tested our community again and again, with a few power shutdowns thrown in to keep us on edge. I am in awe of our first responders who worked double or triple shifts without rest to fight the fires, extinguish hot spots and keep the fires away from residences. And as the Glass Fire was still smoldering in some remote reaches of the burn area, we marked the three-year anniversary of the Tubbs and Nun’s fires that wrought such destruction and loss of life in our community.
Covid — Conversation is ongoing all over our County about how can we work together to move us out of the Purple Tier, or the most restrictive tier based on the State of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and into the Red Tier to open up indoor dining, gyms, theaters, schools, and other personal services. I know that our businesses are really hurting economically and pondering survivability; and people are getting anxious as we watch our neighboring counties’ numbers decrease and their restrictions ease, while still not being able to exercise or eat indoors, or send our children to school.
It’s important to remember that these tiers aren’t arbitrary, they are based on our case data, and if we open prematurely, we would surely see an increased spread that would lead to more illness and spread of this highly contagious virus, as we are now seeing in European nations.
One of the largest drivers of our case rate is gatherings – both large (12 or more people) and small. Other important drivers are household transmission and workplace transmission, which really go hand in hand: you live with someone who must go to work and contracts COVID on the job, and brings it home to you. These are impacted inequities that have always been here in our community – people who can’t afford or are unable to take time off, who lack sick leave or access to care, or who must share transportation or live in close quarters with a larger household.
Sonoma County Fires — We are living through an incredibly difficult time. If you are dealing with stress and trauma and need someone to talk to, the County operates a mental health warm line where you can talk to a trained counselor. The warm line is available in English and Spanish 10am-7pm, seven days a week at 707.565.2652.
If you are feeling stuck, please reach out to me. My staff has been through this before too, and may be able to help point you in the right direction, or unstick something for you. Most importantly, I urge you to be patient and kind with yourselves and each other. Even my friends who did not have to evacuate are feeling trauma from this incident, so however you were impacted – whether trying to keep up on the news, evacuating in the middle of the night, or knowing your home is gone – feel what you’re feeling and take time to rest.
If you lost a home, know that the journey ahead is long and trying, whether you decide to rebuild or sell your lot. I know it well, I am still walking that path. And I am here for you.
Reach Supervisor Gorin and her team at susan.gorin@sonoma-county.org or 707-565-2241 to leave a message and you will receive a return call.
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