LAKE COUNTY — With triple-digit temperatures over the recent holiday weekend and air quality that of a furnace due to multiple fire emergencies throughout the state, some residents are staying inside, while others are going on about their daily lives, while the shuttering of senior centers and other facilities due to COVID-19 has left many without many options to find relief.
One woman recently went hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and died from the extreme heat.
Lakeport Chief of police, Brad Rasmussen, went hiking north of Lake County, in Siskiyou County where he said it was cooler due to the elevation. However while he was there, his mother’s house and his brother’s house burnt to the ground from the Slater Fire.
California is concurrently dealing with record breaking fires and frequent hot temperatures, loss of life and housing, along with COVID-19.
Gary Deas, the onsite manager of Elijah House for the homeless of Lake County, said that they have seen more people come into Elijah House; “Elderly people who can’t deal with the smoke and the heat come in. We’re not completely full but the number changes from day to day. We have a lot more men than women because there are more places for women around the lake. They’re staying until we find them a place to go. We’ve also helped people who have been evacuated from the fires.”
The Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake is closed, “so no one is coming in to get cool,” said Joyce Overton, the center’s director. “My elderly all seem to be okay. They have some cooling ACs at their residences, some swamp coolers, which they don’t like because it brings the smoke inside. They are also using their masks when they go out.”
Overton said she believes there are no cooling centers in Lake County due to COVID-19.
“We prepare our seniors pretty good. We send out notices to them to prepare for heat, fires, what to put in a go bag, whatever comes our way. We call them. Older people tend know more [about] what to do than the young people because they’ve been through these things.”
“If a PSPS happens during a heat wave,” Overton said, “then we get on the phone to warn them.”
Paula Bowman, director of Lucerne Alpine Senior Center wasn’t available for comment, nor was Morgan Hunter of COC, Continuum of Care, the HUD organization that aligns programs and resources to facilitate solutions to end homelessness in the community.
Deanna Contreras, spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric addressed why Lake County doesn’t have a PG&E cooling center when 29 cities in Fresno, Kern, Merced and Santa Clara counties have them. According to one of her PG&E press releases which gives tips on how to stay cool and tips to prepare for a power outage, it also notes that “PG&E also funds the operation of existing county or city-run cooling centers throughout the state.” When asked why Lake County wasn’t included, she responded it’s because Lake County doesn’t have any existing cooling centers.
Contreras said, “Our customer resource centers will include cooling stations, if needed, during PSPS events.”
Olga Martin Steele, secretary of the Lake County Silver Foundation said in an email in answer to how the Lake County seniors are dealing with the heat and air quality, “I think determining as a community that taking care of our elders is a priority, especially the medically frail and impoverished; is a necessary first step. Small power grids, generators and air/heating systems that allow seniors to stay home without perishing during power losses, or being exposed to COVID19 and other emergencies would be a big help. The need has never been greater and the recent PG&E PSPS strategy to reduce/prevent the risk of fire by shutting off our power has served to heighten awareness, reminding us of the importance of taking care of our elders. Sadly, not enough thought was given to the implications of power losses, initially and since PSPS.”
“I realize the spotlight is on PG&E for solutions, like cooling shelters, but honestly the problem with the large impoverished senior demographic in Lake County calls out for a broad-based humanitarian solution that brings together responsible public agencies and other resources,” said Martin Steele.
Martin Steele added that the needs are enormous and it’s not just due to the loss of power when it’s hot. “Today it’s the heat, poor air quality, fire and COVID threats. Tomorrow it will be the cold. I remember during the initial PSPS events seniors were sleeping in their cars with the engines running to stay warm. This simply should not be acceptable.”
Martin Steele said she lamented a lack of will to address some of the local issues affecting Lake County residents. “Today, as I look at the dark, smoke filled horizon, I’m struck with the feeling there’s no place to escape – and that heavy feeling in my gut reminds me that there are places all around the county that could be set up as respite centers but they’re shut down, partly due to COVID, partly due to a lack of resources and mostly because there doesn’t seem to be a strong enough will to develop a comprehensive, cohesive plan of attack. That, it seems, needs leadership and enough cash resources.”
“It’s a serious, long standing, problem that we treat like an emergency; kind of the way we deal with fires. At some point we need to change our paradigm; instead of chasing emergencies, we should be planning for better, long term solutions,” she said.
To check on upcoming weather patterns affecting the region, go to http://pge.com/weather
