Lea este artículo en español aquí.
On Sept. 29, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved sending a letter in the form of a resolution to the state Director of Emergency Services in an attempt to secure an early place in the queue to receive state assistance, as the state and county prepare for El Niño storms.
County CEO Experanza Colio Warren told BenitoLink that what was referred to as a letter during the board meeting was actually a resolution.
“The state requested that a side letter could be added to the original emergency declaration, “ she said. “Rather than preparing a side letter, it’s better to have a resolution from the board requesting assistance.”
The resolution stated in part: “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Emergency Services of the County of San Benito is hereby requesting any available state assistance to prepare for the impending storms and mitigate the potential destructive winter conditions in order to reduce the loss of life and property as well as to reduce or mitigate the monetary costs of repair, replacement, and restoration including, but not limited to the items, equipment, and personnel listed in Exhibit A attached hereto.”
The communique followed the state and county emergency declarations with regard to anticipated storms and resulting damage. The county is still awaiting disaster funding from previous storm years.
During the Sept. 22 special meeting to discuss the impending emergency, the board also voted for a budget adjustment of $500,000 from the county’s disaster reserve of $3 million to $4 million.
According to Colio Warren, the funding is earmarked to support preparedness and response efforts. By aligning with the statewide declaration, she said county officials underscored the heightened risks posed by El Niño and positioned San Benito County to access critical state resources.
The board also on Sept. 22 discussed a resolution with three separate yet interconnected agenda items concerning potential impacts of El Niño:
- Preparation efforts by the county
- Presentation regarding the statutory role of the Board of Supervisors during a locally declared emergency
- Adopt a resolution proclaiming a local state of emergency.
“The governor proclaimed a state of emergency to help to prepare for the upcoming storms,” Colio Warren said, “and I understand that some people are skeptical about El Niño. We’re going to have a lot of rain. So, it is imperative that we prepare.”
Sheriff Eric Taylor warned that his deputies will not argue with residents when telling them they have to leave their homes but will simply move on to the next homes. He also emphasized that San Benito County could become an island, isolated from the surrounding counties.
“I want everyone to understand that we’re all going to be on our own,” Taylor said. “It’s going to be hard for people to come to us and especially when everyone’s being affected at the same time with the same storm in our region. Getting resources here is going to be difficult.”
Taylor said his office will assume incident command in the field during any disaster.
“We’ll utilize a unified command system with the Hollister Fire Department, the Highway Patrol and our other partners,” he said. “We have contacts in place with Swift Water Rescue from the Oakland Fire Department. We have an incredible group of dedicated volunteers that are also from our community. So, they’re going to have to be stepping away from their businesses and their families to come out and help. They’ve done it really well. We rely on them for the search and rescue function.”
County Public Works Administrator Adolfo Gonzalez said his department is continuing to prepare for the storms.
“On Sept. 11, we met with residents in the Lovers Lane, San Felipe Road area, Pacheco Creek Water District,” Gonzalez said. “We walked the levees, walked the bridges, listened to their concerns, and took notes. We have committed to meeting with them again in a town hall setting as well.”
Tracy Belton, director of the Health and Human Services Agency, said her group is responsible for mass care and shelter.
“Myself and Assistant Director Amanda Duffy will be the leads in the incident if it becomes a disaster,” she said. “Our staff is aware that they are disaster service workers. We also have medical health operational area coordinators.”
Belton said the agency’s health officer, Dr. Cheryl Scott, as well as Dr. Michael Bogie from Hazel Hawkins Hospital, will also be available.
“Our other key functions as an agency are environmental health, checking shelters and food, and reports to hazmat of any disasters in the event that they arise,” Duffy said. “We provide emergency public assistance benefits in the event that they’re needed. And our Children and Adult Services Division has a responsibility to ensure that all foster children are safe in a disaster.”
Duffy also spoke about the outreach Health and Human Services has done with shelters and community-based organizations for both response and recovery.
“For our shelter site locations, we’ve reached out to the San Benito Farm Housing,” she said. “They have capacity for 288 beds. The next location we have is Veterans Hall, which can house 75 to 100 beds.”
Agricultural Commissioner Ken Griffin said a general agreement is being created with Bolado Park to use the fairgrounds to take livestock and other large animals.
“I’m also working with many volunteers and the animal shelter,” he said. “We have a lot of people that will volunteer to help transport those animals. We’re not sending out a team to gather your animals, so let’s be ahead and be ready. The fairgrounds can take many animals. Just their ability to feed and water them, they want it to be known that it will be on the owner to take care of their animals prior to them leaving the facility and throughout their entire time there.”
County Counsel Gregory Priamos spoke of the board’s responsibilities during a locally declared emergency. He said the board’s powers are spelled out under state and local law and are designed to permit the board, its director of emergency services, county-appointed and elected officials, and county employees to act “swiftly and effectively” during the local emergency and in the county’s recovery and reconstruction.
“I felt that it would be helpful to be aware of exactly what our role is when a locally declared emergency occurs,” he said. “We don’t want to be asking ourselves, what is our role during a locally declared emergency?”
Related Story
San Benito County declares local emergency to prepare for El Niño | BenitoLink
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website covering San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and to providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.