Resources to Support Wildfires Response & Recovery in Northern and Southern California

Posted by Marco Tamase on November 14th, 2018 Posted in: Announcements, Consumer Health, Emergency Preparedness and Response, NLM Products, Public Health

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On November 8, 2018, several wildfires erupted in the Butte and Solano counties of northern California and the Los Angeles and Ventura counties of southern California. This batch of wildfires includes the Camp Fire in Butte County which is now the deadliest wildfire in modern California history with 56 civilian casualties and about 130 people still unaccounted for. It leveled much of the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Paradise and has destroyed more than 10,300 structures. The Woolsey Fire, which has burned for several days, has destroyed more than 500 structures and has singed hillsides and coastline across nearly 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, an area the size of the city of Denver. On November 9, Acting Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for the counties affected by the wildfires.

On November 13, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of California to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on November 8 and continuing. On the same day, HHS Secretary Azar declared a public health emergency in California due to the wildfires. This declaration provides HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services beneficiaries and their healthcare providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs created by the wildfires. In addition, regional emergency coordinators (RECs) have been deployed to coordinate with state and local health authorities and emergency response officials.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) has compiled resources to assist with response and recovery from the latest California wildfires. Information guides on disaster topics and the Disaster Lit® database provide access to curated, reliable information from vetted Federal, state, and local governments and organizations.

Key National Resources

• NLM Fires and Wildfires Information Guide
  • Content syndication—embed the content of this page on your own website, to get automatic updates and new resources
• NLM Coping with Disasters, Violence and Traumatic Events
• California Wildfires (Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response)
• Disaster Distress Helpline (HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
  • Provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing distress related to natural or human-caused disasters
  • Call 1-800-985-5990 toll-free
  • Text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

• Federal Aid Programs for the State of California – assistance for individuals
• Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Emergency & Assistance Act – libraries as facilities are eligible for funding under this act.
• Public Assistance: Local, State, Tribal and Private Non-Profit
• Rx Open – helps patients find nearby open pharmacies in areas impacted by disaster.
• American Red Cross Safe & Well Registry – let friends and family know you’re safe and well in an event of a disaster.
• HHS Activates Aid for Uninsured Californians in Need of Medications Lost in Wildfires

Key California Resources

• California Statewide Wildfire Recovery Resources
• California Statewide Fire Map
• WIFIRE Firemap Research Project (including recent smoke concentrations, air quality)
• Air Quality: AirNow from the Environmental Protection Agency (Search by Zip Code or State)
• Kaiser Health News: Smoke-Filled Snapshot – California Wildfire Generates Dangerous Air Quality For Millions
• San Francisco Chronicle 2018 California Fire Tracker

Butte County

• Butte County Home Page – provides one stop shop for highway information, evacuation shelters, animal shelters, finding loved ones, etc.
• Butte County Recovers – official website for Camp Fire response and recovery.
• Butte County Office of Emergency management
• Butte County Air Quality Management District
• Sign up for for emergency mass notifications – https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFA19C579EA5
• Camp Fire Structure Status Map
• Butte County Shelter Information
  • Call (530) 538-7826
• Missing Person Call Center Phone Numbers:
  • (530) 538-6570
  • (530) 538-7544
  • (530) 538-7671

Los Angeles County

• Los Angeles Emergency Management Department
• Sign up for free emergency alerts – http://emergency.lacity.org/notifyla
• Los Angeles Fire Department
• Cal Fire Woolsey Fire Incident Information – provides evacuation centers, animal evacuation centers, road closure information, etc.

Key Documents

• Search NLM Disaster Lit database
  • NIOSH Tips: Wildland Fire Fighting Hot Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy
  • When It’s Time to Leave: Summary of California Mass Evacuation Laws

Social Media

•     Hashtags: #CampFire #ButteCounty #CaliforniaFires #WoolseyFire #HillFire #FireAssistance
•     Twitter List: https://twitter.com/NLM_DIMRC/lists/california-wildfire

Update (November 30, 2018):

Following the recent wildfires, heavy rainstorms have threatened the fire-scorched areas with potential mudslides, landslides and flash floods.

Landslides & Mudslides

• National Disasters and Severe Weather: Landslides and Mudslides
• L.A. County Landslide & Mudslide Safety (PDF)
• Ready.gov’s Landslides & Debris Flow page

Webinar

• Fires, Mudslides, Earthquakes, Shootings: Promoting Personal and Community Resiliency after Mass Trauma December 5, 2018, 1-2pm Arizona Time

We will continue to provide updates to this list as additional news and information about the California wildfires is received.