Saturday, October 26, 2019

Kincade Fire in Geyserville: Santa Rosa air quality, and keeping safe during power shutoffs

Smoke from the Kincade Fire near Geyserville was discoloring the skies above Santa Rosa yesterday, and Santa Rosa City Schools (SRCS) received questions about the air quality and schools.

In a statement to families, the district shared that “The California Department of Education has established guidelines to help us determine the best action when there is wildfire smoke in the area.”

Yesterday, all school sites were monitoring air quality; affected sites held indoor recesses and limited some outdoor activities as an extra precaution.

The statement advises parents / guardians, “Ultimately, you are the best judge of what is best for your own child. Our schools will approve absences for anyone wishing to keep their children home because of health concerns.”

Superintendent Diann Kitamura advised in a Friday evening statement, six schools will be closed on Monday due to Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Those schools are Elsie Allen High School, Maria Carrillo High School, Rincon Valley Middle School, Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter School, and Hidden Valley Elementary School.

Kitamura stated, “The National Weather Service is anticipating a ‘historic’ wind event that will last much of the weekend, expecting conditions could be worse than during the Tubbs Fire. The risk of a new wildfire or the spread of the Kincade fire is very high. PG&E is predicting a wide-scale power shutoff that could last longer than previous PSPS events and anticipated damage to PG&E equipment.”

You can use PG&E’s look-up tool to find out if your address will be affected by a power shutoff.

Here are recommendations for staying safe this weekend:

  • Stay indoors as much as possible, especially at night.
  • Have your emergency supplies stocked and ready. Fire officials recommend using flashlights instead of candles.
  • Make sure you are receiving SoCo Alerts and Nixle. Learn more in this Know Your Alerts flyer from the City of Santa Rosa (via the SRCS website).

PG&E will have a Community Resource Center at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave. The resource center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the power shut-offs. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and seating for up to 100 will be available.

SRCS will continue to share the most up-to-date information it receives from Pacific Gas and Electric, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Emergency Operations Center. Updates are also posted on the SRCS website: www.srcschools.org.

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