Collecting knowledge in one place : Sharing research, especially about respiratory support and collecting the information circulating on social media
live maps
fire map Sonoma County with borders of fires updated nightly
fire map with names – CAL FIRE
informative articles :
Respirators : Regarding Dust Mask Rating System : get at least a N95, R95, or P95
If you are going for a full face ‘gas mask’
Don’t put a sprinkler on your roof
Social Media Posts (unverified) :
action plan for those who have recently lost their homes…
Start with the small list:
1. Get a PO Box
2. Longer term rental search – include insurance on it so they pay directly for rental. Find a nice place that you like, don’t settle. You should be able to get a “Like Property” so insurance should cover a nice place for you to live while you work through all this. You might be living here for 2 years, so choose wisely.
3. Find a place to buy some sturdy boots and gloves. Get some shovels.
4. Start working on the personal property list (this is not fun at all, be prepared to cry we sure did). Write down the moment you remember – keep list on phone or pad of paper with you at all times.
5. Save receipts. Loss of use insurance will cover incidentals too – hairbrush, phone chargers, etc.
6. As you buy things, tell the store owner your situation. Most stores will give you some level of discount as their way of helping you.
7. Let people do things for you. Do you have a friend that you can send to the store to buy you some basic clothes or comfort foods? Let them do it – they want to help and you don’t need to spend time doing these errands. (The ‘fun’ of shopping is gone…it quickly becomes a chore because you don’t want a new shirt, you want the one that you always liked to wear but now it’s gone and you are sad/mad.)
The Big List:
1. Register at the shelters, with Red Cross and any other agency there, california FEMA, etc.
a. Most of the aid coming in will use these lists as a point of contact and will help to ensure that you don’t get left out of anything.
b. This will be especially important should FEMA be activated, which in my opinion is very likely with the amount of devastation experienced.
2. Call Homeowners/Rental insurance to trigger “Loss of Use”
. This typically will allow you to be in a “Like” property for x number of years and sometimes has a dollar limit attached and sometimes not, this is dependent on your policy.
a. This coverage should also give you some immediate access to funds for essentials, clothes, toothbrushes, food, etc.
b. This will also get the ball rolling for the insurance claim on your home and rebuilding/personal property Dollars.
3. Get a PO Box and forward all mail to the Box.
. Use this PO Box as the mailing address on all forms you begin to fill out.
4. Start Searching for a Long term rental.
. Coordinate with your insurance company so that payments can be made directly from them using your “Loss of Use” money.
a. Plan on renting 1-2 years, but do not necessarily sign a lease for a full two years as circumstances can change.
5. Itemized List of belongings – (This is very hard but very necessary for your claim)
. I would organize by room and list everything that was there with a replacement cost. (you will cry a lot doing this and that is ok)
a. Replacement Cost should be what it would cost to replace not on sale from pottery barn, it should not be the price you paid for it with that 50% off coupon.
b. Make sure you list everything, even if it is above and beyond your policy limit. This is very important because everything above and beyond the policy limit is considered a Loss and can be claimed as such on your taxes – See #9
6. Call all of your utilities and either freeze or cancel service.
. Electric, Gas, TV, Land Line phone
a. Newspaper delivery, either cancel or update to PO Box.
7. Call the rest of your insurance points as needed.
. Car insurance
a. Any specialty insurance for unique items
8. Permits – An unfortunate necessity.
. Debris Removal – as things wind down it will be necessary to remove the debris, this requires a permit usually. (This should be covered by your insurance, we had to force the issue but ask repeatedly.)
a. Erosion Control – If you are on any kind of hill or have sloped property you will need to put some sort of erosion control measures in place, again this will need some sort of permit.
b. Temporary Power Pole/Trailer on site Permit – Getting this earlier on can prove helpful in both the rebuilding process.
9. Taxes
. You will be able to claim the monetary loss of the value of all your items minus what you receive from your insurance company. I’m unfamiliar with the exact laws, but I believe that we were able to carry our losses back 2-5 years and received most of the money that we had paid in taxes back in a nice large check.
10. Network with others. You will learn so much from others as you go through the rebuilding process. We all have our strengths so share yours and use others. The amount of time that you will spend on the rebuild, insurance, recovery process is staggering so you need to use all your resources.
came from a someone who was affected in the 1991 Oakland Hills fire:
“I’m reading up on the devastation of the Napa and Sonoma county fires. Unbeknownst to many except a few friends in my circle I, along with my 3 other UC Berkeley roomates, were victims of that 1991 fire when our apartment in the North side near the Caldecott Tunnel burned downed.
Reading this made me remember what I did back then to help fire victims such as myself. If you know anyone affected by the fire please advise them to:
(1) Contact their insurance companies. Most will cover hotel stays, apart from the usual coverage.
(2) Call their credit card companies and have the last 3-6 months of their purchases reimbursed back (get a police report that testifies you are a fire victim).
(3) If you are renting and are a minor, your parents’ home insurance may cover your belongings (this is how I got my stuff reimbursed through my parent’s home insurance even if they lived 300 miles away at that time).
(4) Call your chain retail stores and see what they can offer to fire victims (I remember GAP gave away free clothes to fire victims up to $500 per person…yes my roommates and I were like walking GAP ads bed literally that was all the clothes we had).
(5) Get as many resources and information as you can and keep passing the info around.
You will see the kindness of strangers and the familial treatment of friends.
My prayers to anyone you know affected by this devastation.”
ways to help from SFGate:
The Redwood Empire Food Bank is accepting donations of food and money and also needs volunteers. Non-perishable and ready-to-eat items can be taken to 3990 Brickway Blvd., in Santa Rosa.
• Idle Hand in San Francisco is serving as a drop-off location for supplies. They will be making trips to Wine Country to deliver them.
• Those based in Oakland can drop off supplies at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records.
• San Francisco store Love on Haight is giving away free clothes to fire victims, if you are looking for a quick place to donate. They are also offering a few spots to stay in the city for evacuees.
• San Francisco restaurant Liholiho Yacht Club is collecting donations through Friday at 11 a.m.
• Livermore Downtown is collecting water, blankets, dog and cat food, non-perishable food items and diapers/wipes from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday at Granada Bowl.
• Palo Alto’s Home Care Assistance, which provides assisted living services for seniors, is accepting donated diapers, underpads, sanitary wipes, latex medical gloves, walkers, wheelchairs, canes and other supplies for the elderly or infirm who had to evacuate senior living facilities. For more info visit their website or call 650-462-9501. Monetary donations for this purpose can also be made to the Red Cross or Episcopal Senior Communities.
• Please note that many shelters have sufficient supplies. Monetary donations may be best, as families can use them to purchase what they need.
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FREE FOOD / WATER:
• Amy’s Drive Thru in Rohnert Park: offering free meals to those evacuated. If you choose to pay for a evacuees meal, 100% of that money will be donated to help in the aids effort. (10/10/17 3:30pm)
• Nopalito (10/10/17): offering free burritos from 11-3 (1905 Bodega Ave)
• McGuires is offering free food
• Mystic Theatre/McNears (10/10/17): Serving Breakfast 9-11, Serving Lunch-soup and sandwiches from 12-3, Serving Dinner from 5-8. They can deliver or make meals to go. Contact them directly at 707-765-2121
• Sauced BBQ Restaurant (10/10/17): Serving free food from 9-4, offering place to rest and view TV
• Sweet Zone (10/10/17): Offering free Gelato
• Quinua Restaurant (10/10/17): Offering free lunch
• Lagunitas, Tap Room (10/10/17): Giving away free water- bring containers and they will fill them
• Amy’s in RP is offering FREE food today- limited menu. All money donated there will be given to families in need.
• The Drawing Board (10/10/17): Offering food delivery to those in need, plus a special menu for firefighters and victims.
FREE WIFI / COMPUTERS:
• Comcast (10/10/17) FREE Internet/Comcast/Xfinity: Removed restrictions and opened their WiFi hotspots for all to use through Fri. 10/13 Log in as “Guest”.
• Copperfield’s Books Petaluma: Free wifi, allows dogs, water, stickers & crayons for children
• Mystic Theatre/McNears/The Roaring Donkey (10/10/17): Offering laptops for fire victims to use if they need to get a hold of their financial institutions or family. Ask for Sierra Bradley.
• Roaring Donkey has laptops set up and wifi and chargers for people, as needed.
FREE HEALTH / WELLNESS:
• Petaluma Swim Center (10/10/17): Offering showers 8:30-10:30 am and 3:00-5:30 pm today. (Soap, Shampoo and Towels provided)
• Synergy Health Club (10/10/17): Offering free showers plus towels to those in need. Also a place to relax with couches and TV.
FREE CLOTHING / ENTERTAINMENT:
• Adventure Recreation – 2200 Petaluma Blvd. N. will be open until 6pm for kids to play out of the smoke. Free for fire victims. Proceeds from others will be donated to relief efforts.
• Petaluma Bowling Alley (10/10/17): Offering a free space to hang out and free games.
• Copperfield’s Books Petaluma: Free wifi, allows dogs, water, stickers & crayons for children
• Sax’s Joint – 317 Petaluma Blvd. S – Collecting Men’s Basketball shorts and sweats, as well as socks and underwear for both men and women from 6am-4pm Tues. 10:10 to distribute to shelters.
• California Academy of Sciences Free, safe place for families during the day
• Ethical Clothing – 122 Kentucky Street. 707-769-8564. Open Tuesday. The middle room of the store is a free clothing boutique for those in need. For non-evacuees, they will also sell newly donated items for $25 a piece and donate the money to those in need.
• Yoga Hell: Free yoga classes, plus an easy drop-off donation site for locals
PETS / ANIMAL BOARDING:
• Dickson Ranch in Woodacre is taking horses: ATTN FIRE EVACUEES! We can help – If you need to evacuate! Call (415)488-0454 or call Call Leah Jane Oberfelder if you are in St Helena/ Calistoga area! 415-272-4110
• Petaluma Animal Shelter (10/10/17) – Snuggle Shuttle @ Petaluma Community Center at Luchessi Park (707-778-7387) Offering pet food, water, boarding, and lost and found pet information.
• Strong’s Second Chance Ranch (10/10/17): Offering to home horses, can message on Facebook
• Chanslor Ranch – Bodega Bay, Offering free beds and campsite. Kid and pet friendly. (707)875-2721
• Sonoma Humane Society – 5345 Highway 12 West, Santa Rosa. Taking in animals for boarding, lost & found animals. No cost vet treatment for burn victims, owned or stray animals affected by fires. Open 8-5 daily.
• Unleashed Dog Training for boarding and if you need a place to hang. Call at 707.763.9882
• Marin Humane Society offering free boarding
• Misc animal issues: Anyone encountering animal related issues can call 707-565-4406. This number will be available 24/7 until further notice. Donations can also be made through this line. Please be prepared to share information about the number of animals, type of animals, address and location for the animals, and any information about the families associated with the animals, if known.
• Adding: Better homes and Gardens in Sebastopol will give you a cup of coffee and wifi and you can charge your phone. 186 Main st sebastopol
air purifier information / reducing wildfire smoke indoors :
I have to say that the experiment I’ve been putting off needs to get done soon. The first experiment is based on
the fact that smoke tends to desublimate (deposit) on cold surfaces. A dehumidifier’s cold evaporator coil comes
to mind, although I doubt that you would want to remove moisture in an already-dry heated house in a cold climate;
we usually have to add considerable moisture, in order to maintain comfortable indoor humidity levels in winter.
Maintaining a positive pressure indoors is very helpful in keeping pollution out. But since this requires drawing in
outside air, the incoming air would have to be well-filtered. If you have an attached, unheated garage, you might
consider drawing in the air from that point. With the garage door closed, the enclosed space can act as a sort of
‘buffer zone,’ so to speak. That is, any airborne particle pollution entering the cold garage space will have a chance
to settle out (deposit on the cold surfaces within the enclosed space) When the air finally enters the house itself,
at least some of the PM will have been removed from the incoming air.
Try not to run bathroom fans or clothes dryers during burning times, as these fans draw polluted air into the house.
Place air cleaners on the floor, right below a window, where most of the cold air seeps into the house in extremely
cold weather. In addition to a good air cleaner, I keep a large tray of activated charcoal in every room. Two trays are
better. It is an excellent odor absorber for not only smoke, but cooking odors, as well as pet odors.
http://burningissues.org/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=511
air purifier reviews
allergist’s recommendations amazon review on Rabbit air purifier :
“As a board-certified allergist, I’m often asked, “what air filter should I buy?”. First of all, do you need a filter at all? If you’re allergic to just dust mites, don’t bother. Dust mites are carried on large particles (10 micro-meters, or microns), and only stay airborne for 15 minutes after being disturbed (such as making the bed or running a vacuum cleaner). They won’t even get to the filter, so no matter what filter you buy, it can’t filter something that doesn’t STAY airborne.
But if you’re allergic to something carried on tiny (~ 2 micron) particles, such as cat dander or grass pollen, then by all means consider getting an air filter.
My household owns 2 Rabbit Minus A2’s. That’s the bottom line, but here’s the long explanation:
1) I ask my patients who need a filter, ‘what is your budget’? If it’s $200, get a Honeywell. They’re inexpensive and work well. If it’s $500, get a Rabbit (details below). If it’s $1,000, consider getting an IQ air, Blue-Air, or Austin. If cost is no object, do what we did with our previous home. I bought 3 hospital grade IQ Airs and put 1 of them inline with each HVAC unit in the house (I know, I know, 3 HVAC’s must mean a big house, buy hey, I’m a doctor in practice for 25 years, and besides, the financial guy down the street has a house twice as big). We spent about $12,000 on that upgrade. All so we could have our cake and eat it too (not get rid of the cats). Or is it EAT our cake and have it too? The super-fancy filters lowered the airborne allergens to next-to-nothing, but if my daughter still slept with the cat…
2) Why do we own 2 Rabbits? I really like the idea that Rabbits have 4 separate filters, and you can customize the 4th filter (germ, pet, toxin or odor remover).
3) I am totally inept when it comes to mechanical aptitude, but I am able to order the $85 filter pack once a year and make our Rabbit as good as new. All you have to do is unwrap each filter and keep them in the same order.
4) We have one of them in our bedroom and one in the allergic kid’s bedroom.
—Other hints about getting any filter
-High speed equals better filtration, but the ‘turbo’ speed on Rabbits is pretty loud. Maybe run it on high speed when you’re NOT in the room (especially if the cat goes in the room—Whiskers doesn’t mind the noise–trust me on that one), and turn it down to low speed when you’re in the room.
-Priority #1 is to put one of these in your bedroom–that’s where you spend (hopefully) 8 hours a day while you’re asleep.
-Don’t skimp on replacing those filters each year. A clogged up filter is worthless, at best, and aerosolizing last year’s allergens, at worst.
-Clean the pre-filter every month or two.”
Herbal Smoke Inhalation Care
”
*SMOKE DETOX* From Kris Rouge
I spent 48 hours in full on survival get shit done mode and didn’t have any ability to tend to the health of my lungs. I could barely get it together to wear a mask. I experienced crazy headaches/ brain fog and chest pains. I just spoke with someone from disaster relief about the accumulative affects of breathing this air. It can actually be quite dangerous. Please take care and spread this info on. I’m out of the area now and will be cleansing…. I wish I knew how important this was earlier. Being pushed to the edge to survive makes self care a luxury.
From Jayant LawlessSmoke Detox support:
Smoke is highly toxic and we are in a very unhealthy toxin filled smoke zone right now. DO NOT go outside with your children or elders.
ALL of the following herbs/ remedies are available at Farmacopia in Santa Rosa and Rosemary’s Garden in Sebastopol. Here is what I am doing: (Can look at photo for reference):
Respiratory Support:
Diffuser: B.r.e.a.t.h.e by DoTerra, can use Lavander, and in small few drop doses around children; Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Tee Tree, and Ravensara Essential oils.
Herbal Steam: put fresh herbs into a steam for whole family, make a tent for children and sit under with them…easily made by putting blankets over your dining table: Mullein, Plantain, Rosemary, Sage, Lavander.
Homeopathic: Causticum 30c….take a few pellets under the tongue to decrease effects of smoke inhalation.
Kick-Ass SINUS: good herb blend for upper respiratory rescue.
Marshmallow cold infusion tea: 2-4 tablespoons of Marshmallow root into cold water, and let it sit. drink and keep adding water until it doesn’t taste of marshmallow. It is VERY soothing to the whole system and will support you staying hydrated.
Liver Support: To Detox Toxins from smoke:
can get any liver blend tea or tincture, or make your own:
Dandelion, burdock, turmeric, milk thistle, artichoke, licorice.
Keep the passage ways of detox open and flowing through you.
Immune Blends: including herbs like Echinacea, Osha,
Elderberry, Reishi, mushroom blends.
Wellness Formula: Really potent and powerful immune boosting herbal defense complex. Has many herbs that will support respiratory too.
HIGH MINERAL & VIT C intake:
see picture: I am making a blend of mineral greens (which will support toxins moving through intestines) and Vit C for antioxidant support. I am adding in D3 for immune boost, and small amount of Activated Charcoal to remove toxins. (Activated charcoal to be used only in short term circumstances, there are other binders available for more long term remedies) These will aid the chemical pathways to remove toxins from your body.
Emotional support:
You can take some nervine tinctures, blends available at locations mentioned above:
Skullcap, Oats, Lemonbalm, Passionflower, California Poppy to name a few, and Flower Remdies…..Bach’s Five-Flower Ready or Rescue Remedy is always a go to for trauma or upset.
And last but not least: Stay Hydrated!!
FARMACOPIA in Santa Rosa are this very moment are putting together kits to give out for those most effected. They will give you everything you need and can advise dosages for children.
PLEASE pass on and take care of yourselves.
It is not just plant matter burning out there, there are a lot of chemical particles in the air that are harmful. Supporting your immunity, your detox pathways and boosting with extra minerals and antioxidants is a way to ensure these particles can be removed from your body.
”
CD’s Tea
“Got my tea brewing for lung health and immunity: slippery elm, marshmallow, licorice, chamomile, lemon balm, plantain, holy basil, peppermint. No mullein on-hand but this should do for now. Eucalyptus oil at the ready as well. I recommend drinking the tea as well as inhaling the vapors as it steeps.”
Recommended by Hilary Heart who lived in an area affected by the Oregon wildfires earlier in the year
“electrolytes, elderberry syrup, mycomedicinals throat spray, activated charcoal to pull out toxins, osha root (expectorant), warming teas and broth – ginger turmeric burdock coriander and cilantro all support detox, fire cider, chlorophyll in all forms, neti pot to flush sinuses and salve inside your nostrils to protect from dryness, love and positivity boost immune while stress compromises it- stay centered and trust this too shall pass”
Songs of water to listen during reading : pray for rain : may waters flow strong and pure, may we weep openly for what we have lost and cry in laughter at the beauty we are birthing