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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Lake County Grand Jury
• 2018-2019
The Other Residents Needing Care During Disasters
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 7 findings
F1
Page 39
In the event of a widespread disaster, Lake County does not have a sufficient number of shelters to house rescued animals. The two public facilities – in Lakeport and Clearlake – are usually filled to capacity and therefore incapable of accommodating an influx of evacuated animals needing food, care, and, in some cases, medical attention.
F2
Page 39
The SPCA, Middletown Animal Hospital, and some stables and ranches in the County offer their facilities to board overflow animals.
F3
Page 39
LEAP needs – and is actively soliciting – disaster volunteers who are willing to undergo the necessary training, which is available through LEAP annually and NVADG in Chico three times a year, plus the FEMA online ICS and NIMS courses. Additional intensive training involving horses, for first responders as well as volunteers, is available through Horse and Livestock Team Emergency Response (HALTER) in Glen Ellen and Sonoma Action For Equine Rescue (SAFER) in Sebastopol.
F4
Page 39
There are too few telephone lines to support the LEAP office staff during an emergency.
F5
Page 39
LEAP does not own a medical RV or trailer where injured animals can be treated in the field.
F6
Page 39
In addition to the expected wildfires, LEAP and animal owners, especially of livestock, need to anticipate the effects on water availability of prolonged PG&E preemptive power outages, anticipated to last 5-10 days, during Red Flag Warnings and other critical weather periods.
F7
Page 39
Some LEAP volunteers are licensed ham radio operators, but they are not utilized during emergencies. LEAP has recently purchased new handheld radios, all enabled to use the receivers utilized by LCACC during normal operations. These radios are believed to be functional in nearly 90% of their expected working area. 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 38 RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations 8
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R1Page 40LEAP should consider creating a separate Facebook page and encourage residents to sign up to offer facilities for temporary placement during evacuations. The information necessarily incudes physical location, type and number of animals that could be accommodated, and ability to transport, as well as contact information. If the list is made public, owners may be able to make private arrangements so as to free up LEAP resources during emergencies. (F-1) (F-2)
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R2Page 40LEAP should develop an expanded presence on Facebook – both on its own page and on a number of other relevant sites (such as Lake County Community Awareness, e.g.) – in order to attract volunteers who care about animals and who want to give back to their community. (F-1) F-3)
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R3Page 40The County should ensure that the LEAP office has adequate telephone lines and personnel to respond immediately to distressed callers during emergencies. (F-4)
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R4Page 40The County should encourage all LCACC employees to undergo the FEMA online training so as to be able to fill in during emergencies. (F-3)
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R5Page 40LEAP should consider distributing its brochure to all feed and pet stores and veterinary clinics in the County, as well as participating in the local community college “career day” events, again with the goal of attracting additional volunteers. (F-1)
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R6Page 40LEAP should explore sources of grant funding to purchase a mobile veterinary clinic for use in emergencies, such as PetSmart Charities, the PETCO Foundation, and Petfinder Foundation, as well as the ASPCApro, to name but a few. (F-5)
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R7Page 40LEAP should seek to be included in any Sheriff’s Office, Fire Protection Districts, and CalFire discussions and plans regarding the projected PG&E “elective” power outages during weather alerts and then help the public appreciate the consequences thereof so that they can plan realistically for their animals during these several-day shut-downs. (F-6).
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R8Page 40LEAP should consider how best to integrate even a few ham radio operators to supplement field-to-base communications during widespread evacuations. The Lake County Amateur Radio Society (LCARS) is a rich source of hams ready and able to assist. (F-7). Request for Responses: Pursuant to Penal Codes sec.933(c), the following response(s) are required: Lake County Board of Supervisors (R3,R4) (90 days) Lake County Animal Care and Control (R-1 through R-8) (60 days) 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 39 Exhibit A: 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 40 Exhibit B 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 41 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 42 Exhibit C 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 43 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 44 Exhibit D 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 45 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 46 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 47 Exhibit E 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 48 Animal Resource Directory Animal Coalition of Lake County – founded by Rita Doyle in Clearlake in 2005. They offer spay and neuter vouchers to low income people and seniors in the Lake County area for their pets. In addition, they provide services for animals in times of crisis, emergency or evacuation. For additional information contact From Me 2 U at 707-995- 0552 or m.me/animalcoalitionlakecounty or animalcoalition@outlook.com Animal Refugee Response – founded by Blythe Lucero in 2011. This is a strictly no-kill, non-profit organization dedicated to animals in need. Their work includes animal advocacy, community education and outreach, spay/neuter, & adoption services. Their focus is providing a sanctuary for special-needs animals. They are located at 11767 Candy Lane in Lower Lake, CA . They can be contacted at (510) 230-3758 or www.animalrefugee.org. Clearlake Animal Care & Control – is the City of Clearlake animal shelter and is a division of the Clearlake Police Department. They respond to calls regarding loose, neglected, abused, and injured animals and operate a small shelter at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road, Clearlake. They also provide dog licenses. Contact them at 707-994-8251, X 1 or animalcontrol@clearlakepd.org. Cole Creek Equestrian Center provided shelter for large animals during the recent fires. It is a horse boarding and riding facility located at 4965 Steelhead Drive, Kelseyville, CA. They can be reached at (707) 279 -0915 or at http://www.colecreekequestrian.com/index.html Dogwood Animal Rescue Project – is a non-profit organization located in Sonoma County that provides foster rescue, adoption, rehabilitation, wellness, education, spay and neuter services. They have helped sponsor and staff spay-neuter events in Lake County and are active is fostering Lake County animals. They are located at 1415 Fulton Street Suite 205 Box 432 in Santa Rosa, CA 95403. General inquiries can be sent to info@dogwoodrescue.org HALTER (Horse & Livestock Team Emergency Response) was founded by Julie Atwood in 2013 primarily as a large-animal disaster response organization. They provide rural first-responders with information and equipment for both large-animal technical rescues and for CPR training for small animals during emergencies. They are located at 12099 Sonoma Valley Hwy, Glen Ellen, CA 95442. They can be reached at (707) 318-7526 and also rescue@HALTERfund.org Hidden Valley Rescue – A nonprofit in Hidden Valley Lake founded by Billie Jo Heubel and dedicated to cat and kitten adoption, fostering/ spay/neutering, and advocacy. 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 49 They also help with TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) for cat colonies. The phone is 707-295- 7455. JARR – Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch is a non-profit, no-kill rescue and sanctuary in the Napa Valley for homeless companion and farm animals. It was founded by Monica Stevens in 2014. They provide training, food, veterinary care, and all other supplies as needed. They also provide vouchers for low-income families for spay and neuter services and have provided funding and staff for vaccination and spay-neuter events in Lake County. Contact them at 707-927-3536 or at monica@jamesonrescueranch.org or http://www.jamesonanimalrescueranch.org. Lake County CA Animal Advocates is a nonprofit formed by Clearlake Animal Care & Control and is dedicated to the care and welfare, adoption, and fostering of the dogs at the Clearlake shelter. Their phone is 707-994-8251, x 1. Their website is located at https://clearlake.ca.us/211/Animal-Control and their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/LakeCountyAnimalAdvocates/ Lake County DART (Disaster Alliance Response Team) – is a recently formed non-profit based in Clearlake. They provide emergency rescue, first aid, and sheltering services for humans and animals. They can be reached at 707-671-3384. Lake County Animal Care and Control- is the animal shelter for the County of Lake. They respond to calls about loose, abused, neglected, or injured animals. They offer licensing, limited spay and neuter services, adoption, euthanasia and cremation. They are located at 4949 Hellbush Drive in Lakeport, CA 95453 and can be reached by phone at -707-263-0278. LEAP (Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection) – formed in 2012 by staff of Lake County Animal Care & Control and trained volunteers to aid in the evacuation of pets, domestic animals, and livestock during emergencies, in conjunction with CalFire. Animals that cannot be evacuated are fed and watered by LEAP on-site. Their contact number is 707- 263-0278. Middletown Animal Hospital - provided and coordinated emergency veterinary services during the Valley Fire and subsequent Lake County fires and also joined veterinary teams to assist during the Carr & Camp fires. They provide general veterinary care, as well as spay and neuter services and large and small-animal boarding. They can be reached at (707) 987-2000. Moose Lodge- they provided shelter not only for people but for their animals as well during recent fires in Lake County. They are located at 15900 E. Hwy 20 in Clearlake Oaks. They can be reached at (707) 998-3740. NVADG (North Valley Animal Disaster Group) is a non-profit located in Chico in Butte County. Their hotline is (530)895-0000 . They work with emergency services in a 2018-2019 Lake County, California Civil Grand Jury Final Report 50