Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services

APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE: You must live or work in Calaveras County. Go to myturn.ca.gov to register and schedule an appointment. For a complete list of groups el...igible for vaccination go to: https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/ Having trouble? Don't have an email address or mobile phone? Call the CA COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255 (M-F 8AM-8PM, Sa-Su 8AM-5PM) for assistance. Those who live in the 95223 area (Arnold) should enter 95222 as their zip code when searching for a location near you.

***Spring Home Projects*** With this week's warmer weather, spring home project season is right around the corner! Here is a GREAT guide to hardening your home against wildfire from the University Cooperative Extension Service. Check it out here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/forestry/files/343690.pdf

***FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 10 AM PDT TUESDAY (3-16-2021)*** Areas of Frost in the Sacramento Valley and Surrounding Areas Tuesday Morning... .Skies are forecast to clear and winds diminish tonight setting the stage for strong overnight cooling behind a cold low pressure system dropping south of the region. There is a high probability for temperatures to drop into the low to mid 30s for 3 to 5 hours late tonight and early Tuesday morning resulting in frost to for...m during that time. Apricots, pears, plums, peaches, and possibly cherries and prunes could be susceptible to frost damage. Nut trees are not likely to be impacted. * WHAT...Low temperatures as low as 30 to 35 will result in frost formation. * WHERE...Sacramento Valley, Carquinez Strait and Delta, Northern San Joaquin Valley, Portions of the Northeast Foothills of the Sacramento Valley and Mother Lode. * WHEN...From 4 AM to 10 AM PDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered, and could mar the appearance of fruits and vegetables. *ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Chilly overnight and early morning temperatures are expected again Wednesday morning with low temperatures just slightly higher in most locations. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants and exposed water pipes from the cold. Expect roads to be icy and slick; be prepared for a longer commute!

***PSPS UPDATE 10-26-20*** We have just received word from our partners at PG&E that the western parts of the County, primarily West of Hwy 49 have received the "weather all clear", and PG&E crews are being deployed to inspect electrical infrastructure for re-energization when it is safe to so. *** The Red Flag Warning is still in effect until 10-27-2020***

***Calaveras County Red Flag Warning/PSPS*** All of Calaveras County is under a Red Flag Warning for EXTREME fire weather until Tuesday October 27, 2020 @ 5pm. Already this morning, we are seeing extremely low Relative Humidities across the county, with many areas already in the single digits. This creates dangerous and rapid rates of spreads for any new fires. PLEASE avoid any activities such has mowing, or any outdoor open flame/sparks that may ignite a new fire! As of t...his morning, approximately 15,688 PG&E Customers have been de-energized here in Calaveras County. PG&E has opened Community Resource Centers in 4 locations, and operate from 8am-10pm: Utica Park: 1075 Utica Lane, Angels Camp Chapel in the Pines: 2286 Cedar Lane, Arnold Murphys Fire Dept: 58 Jones Street, Murphys Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3322: 202 Spink Road, West Point

***Possible PSPS Event later this week in NorCal*** At this time, it does NOT appear that Calaveras County is in Scope for this event. From our partners at PG&E: NOTE: This forecast is based on weather conditions and fuel moisture content only and does not include other criteria used to determine whether a PSPS may be necessary.... Summary: The PG&E Emergency Operations Center has been activated to prepare for a potential Diablo Wind event across Northern California Wednesday night through Friday morning. The 7-Day PSPS Potential Forecast has been updated and now includes PSPS Watch for Geographic Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Please note that PSPS is not executed across entire Zones and much more detailed maps where PSPS is being considered will be provided as the event gets closer. This is only intended to provide a high level overview. PSPS decisions are made at more granular levels based on high resolution data; thus, only a portion of a zone may experience a PSPS event. At this time, the highest probability areas for observing a PSPS are in the Northern Sacramento Valley and adjacent elevated terrain, the Northern Sierra Nevada generally north of I-80, the North Bay mountains and near Mt. Diablo in the East Bay Area. At this time, the weather event is expected to begin Wednesday night across the far North and spread southward into the Bay Area Thursday through Friday morning. We will have more clarity on potential cities and counties impacted in the next 24-48 hours. Please stay tuned to future updates.

***PSPS UPDATE*** As of 5:22pm, our partners at PG&E have de-scoped Calaveras County, and we will NOT be de-energized during this evenings PSPS Event! We are still under a Red Flag Warning, so please take the necessary precautions to prevent wildfires.

***RED FLAG WARNING*** Most of Calaveras County is under a Red Flag Warning that began this morning at 5:00am, and will continue through Friday, October 16, 2020 @ 11:00am. Here are some important tips for Red Flag Warnings:... --Never mow or trim dry grass on a Red Flag Warning Day. (Mow before 10 a.m. on a day when its not hot and windy). --Never use lawn mowers in dry vegetation. --Spark arrestors are required in wildland areas on all portable gasoline powered equipment. --Never pull vehicles over in dry grass. --Ensure trailer chains don't drag on the ground. --Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained. --Make sure cigarette butts are properly extinguished. --Never burn landscape debris like leaves or branches on NO Burn Days or when it's windy or areas where not allowed. --Target shoot only in approved areas, and never at metal targets. --Report any suspicious activities to prevent arson. #OneLessSpark #calfiretcu #getyoursmokeyon #calaverasoes

***PSPS EVENT UPDATE (10/14/2020 AM)*** Our Partners at PG&E have, based on weather models, pushed back de-energization to THURSDAY 10-15-2020 BETWEEN 4PM AND 8PM. The Outage Map has not changed, and it is estimated to affect 262 PG&E Customers mainly in the areas East and North of Bummerville and East of Wilseyville.

***Diamond Incident: crews now have an established hoselay around the perimeter of this fire; GREAT Work by our Local and CALFIRE TCU Firefighters!***

***20 ACRE WILDFIRE NEAR COPPEROPOLIS***

PG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in anticipation of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), forecasted to begin on Wednesday, 10/14 @ 6:00 pm and end 10/14 @10:00 pm, with total restoration by 10/16 @ 10:00 pm. CRC location: West Point Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3322, 202 Spink Road, West Point, CA... At this time the anticipated impact to Calaveras County is approximately 262 customers, mainly in the areas East of Bummerville and Wilseyville. For further details, please see the attached map.

The Calaveras County Tree Mortality Program was launched in 2018 in response to the prolonged drought and bark beetle epidemic that had created hazardous conditions along County roads due to the presence of dead trees capable of falling and causing damage or injury to infrastructure and the traveling public. Initial surveys by the County indicated that there were over 11,000 dead trees that required removal to mitigate the hazards. The program was designed to remove trees o...n private property at no cost to the property assuming that the property owner granted right of entry to their property to identify, mark and ultimately remove hazardous trees. Since the program began in 2018, 9,397 trees have been mitigated on nearly 2,000 private properties. Projects covering the entire County is currently in the planning stages. These projects are aimed at removing hazard trees that have died in the past few months or that remain on properties where right of entry forms were not received in prior projects. Right of entry forms were sent to hundreds of property owners on whose properties dead trees have been identified. These will likely be the last projects implemented by the County. Consequently, property owners who do not engage in projects this time will have lost the opportunity to have dead trees removed from their property at no cost. If you have received a right of entry form we urge you to return it as soon as possible so that you may be included in an upcoming project. If you have questions about the form or the program, please consult the County website or contact the Tree Mortality Program Manager, Dr. Richard Harris, at (707) 685-5508 or [email protected].

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has issued a Flex Alert for later today, from 3:00pm to 10:00pm. This means that if the electrical "grid" runs out of available power, we may experience "rolling blackouts". ***These ARE NOT a Public Safety Power Shut-down*** Consumers are urged to conserve electricity, especially during the late afternoon and early evening, when the grid is most stressed due to higher demand and solar energy production falling. Consumers a...re also asked to turn off unnecessary lights, delay using major appliances until after 10 p.m., and set air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher. The conservation measures can help the power grid during a time of tight demand and supply, and avoid power interruptions. Energy reduction during a Flex Alert can prevent further emergency measures, including rotating power outages. Between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., the ISO is urging consumers to: --Set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees, if health permits. --Defer use of major appliances. --Turn off unnecessary lights. --Unplug unused electrical devices. --Close blinds and drapes. --Use fans when possible. --Limit time the refrigerator door is open.

Here is the latest smoke forecast from our partners at the US National Weather Service Sacramento California: Main focus for the week will be the above average temperatures bringing portions of moderate to high heat risk to interior Northern California. Maximum temperatures this week will run anywhere from 10 to 18 degrees above normal, with the hottest high temperatures expected on Wednesday and Thursday. A small area of high heat risk is possible near the Delta these days,... although wildfire smoke near that area may act to decrease highs. Winds will generally be lighter this week, although a brief period of breezy east winds will be possible in the Sierra and surrounding foothills Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Temperatures remain slightly above average this weekend and dry weather looks to continue. To monitor air quality, please visit fire.airnow.gov. See more

***POWER FULLY RESTORED*** Our partners at PG&E have informed us that power restoration to Calaveras County is now complete! We received a partial "Weather All-Clear" at 6:00a this morning, and a complete "Weather All-Clear" at approximately 10:30a. PG&E crews stood at the ready, and have completed the necessary line inspections. We may see similar weather events such as the last 36 hours until we see significant rain here in the County. Please remain prepared for such events. You can find tips on PSPS preparedness here: https://www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com/