09/07/2020
Dear Friends,
Today is an unusual day. We had a heat wave a few years back and aside from that, I do not ever remember a day when the mercury registered 108 degrees and the weather report suggested the same for the next day.
We all need to take care of ourselves today to stay cool. A National Weather Service Excessive Heat Warning is in place until 9 p.m. tonight and news reports tell us that consecutive days of high temperatures take a greater toll on our bodies. Today is expected to be as hot as yesterday. Precautions suggested by the National Weather Service include making sure we drink plenty of fluids, stay in air conditioning, check in on relatives and friends, and as the National Weather Service reminds us, children and pets should never be left in vehicles unattended.
The weather conditions are also expected to present a greater chance of wildfire. The National Weather Service has declared a red flag warning from 10 p.m. Monday through 8 a.m. Wednesday. (As defined by the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.)
While this is a strange time indeed when we can measure the mercury in our backyards at 79 degrees at 12:30 a.m., we are fortunate here in Orinda. Not only are the temperatures we are experiencing lower than in other parts of the county (and only a couple of degrees more than San Francisco, which registered 76 degrees at the same time!) our community has been practicing and preparing for the potential of a wildfire evacuation, which evacuation preparation we hope to never have to use.
When I was Mayor in 2019, we participating in producing the Wildfire Preparedness & Evacuation Guide which provides tips for evacuation preparedness including what to do if you start work during a red-flag warning like making sure we have sufficient gasoline in our vehicles and that our garage doors are open so that our vehicles are not trapped inside if we lose power. If you have not already, please make sure (1) that you have registered for alerts from the Community Warning System and (2) that you have updated our phone to accept calls from the Community Warning System. That updated number can be found at the end of this email in blue highlight.
Our preparedness is a work in progress and one that makes me so proud to be part of our community. We have performed several drills over the past three years beginning during my term as Vice Mayor to then Mayor Amy Worth. During my year as Mayor, we hired Police Chief David Cook who has taken an active role in evacuation planning and preparedness with the agency that provides wildfire prevention and suppression to the city, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District and its Chief David Winnacker.
We are entering a time that is new and challenging and one in which I know that we as Orindans will rise to. As always, I hope you will feel free to reach out to me. My phone can at times fill with messages and when it does, please send me an email and as you know, I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.
It is my great honor to serve you on our City Council.
Sincerely,
Inga
