Equinox Shmiquinox
9/24/19
From Amanda’s Messy Desk…
Aequinoctium
n. either of two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator and day and night are of equal length
Yesterday was the autumnal equinox. This is when there is equal amounts of daylight and nighttime. This means that the days, which are already getting shorter, will be shorter than the nights. I’m a daylight kind of a gal, but am working hard to embrace our passage into winter this year. Fall is an amazing time of year in this part of the world. While we don’t get the stunning foliage that they get in some climate zones, we do have a long drawn out, often warmer and clearer period than what we experience during the summer. While this is now synonymous with “fire season” we strive to enjoy these warm days, and crisp evenings. All the while being conscientious about the threat of fire.
PGE called off some of the planned power shutoffs that they were anticipating, but are moving ahead with shutoffs in Butte, Nevada, and Yuba counties. You will hear announcements on KWMR regarding PGE potential shutoffs, and you should add this to your preparedness list. September is “Preparedness Month.” Several factors play into whether PGE will shut off power to specific areas, including Red Flag declarations by the National Weather Service, humidity below 20%, sustained winds over 25 mph, excessive dry fuel loads, real-time observations by PGE. PGE works with Cal Fire and other agencies in making these determinations. There is a wealth of information on PGE’s website.
I spent time last week at a VOAD conference put on by The Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership and Marin County Health and Human Services, as well as many other organizations. It was great. I did not even know what a VOAD was – it stands for Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. I was there with colleagues from Inverness Fire, West Marin Senior Services, West Marin Community Services, and over 170 other participants. There were presentations from many who had responded and are in the recovery mode, such as Santa Rosa, Paradise, and from communities in Marin County as well.
This stuff is no joke, and I am eternally grateful that there is work being done now to help establish countywide relationships between organizations that will end up working together, and will do so much more seamlessly if they know, and trust one another and already have channels of communication open. These types of groups include non-profits, faith based organizations, and community groups.
You are likely already involved with one or more of these types of groups, and if so, thank you. There is a wealth of information at ReadyMarin.org. And as always, it’s wise to sign up for Alert Marin, and Nixle. Know your neighbors, and have a plan!
Amanda (with go-bag at the ready) Eichstaedt
Station Manager and Executive Director