CLEARLAKE
Low vision resource group meeting on March 16 at Redbud Library from 1 to 3 p.m.
As we age, we may need to adjust to changes in our eyesight. Vision Rehabilitation Educator Patricia Jefferson of the Earle Baum Center of the Blind will give us tools to help with these changes. Attendees will have a chance to bring and discuss their concerns.
This event is funded through Lake County Behavioral Health MHSA Mini Grant Program.
—submitted
LAKE COUNTY
Residential and commercial building damage collection
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Lake County Community Development Department (CDD) request damage reports for residential and commercial buildings that sustained structural damage in the late February winter storms.
Sheriff Howe proclaimed a local emergency on Feb. 24, 2023, due to impacts from the low elevation snow storm. This damage assessment is needed to identify potential pathways for assistance from the State of California and/or federal government.
If your home or business sustained moderate to major damage, please report damages as soon as possible and no later than Friday, March 24, 2023:
Visit https://lakesheriff.com/927/Disaster-Preparedness-Recovery or all (707) 263-2382 Monday through Friday 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
—Submitted
CALIFORNIA
California’s precipitation paradox
California has two seemingly contradictory and potentially devastating problems:
We have more water than we know what to do with — and more is on the way.
We still don’t have nearly enough.
More atmospheric rivers are due to wash over us this weekend. These are the same kind of state-spanning bands of wet air responsible for dropping 32 trillion gallons of water on the state in January.
But in a bit of irony that Alanis Morissette might appreciate, the coming rain could actually complicate things in drought-plagued California by melting its snowpack too early.
This latest plume is now forecast to hit the northern and central regions of the state late Thursday. And unlike some prior storms, this one — a subtropical “Pineapple Express” — is expected to be fairly warm.
That’s good news for those of us still recovering from our astronomically higher January natural gas bills, sent skyward in part by the unusually cold weather.
But it could be bad news for those counting on California’s nearly unprecedented Sierra snowpack — or for those living downstream.
National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina: “We’re going to see rain on top of snow…We’re going to basically lose a lot of the snow that fell from the previous storms. We’re looking at potential for flooding.”
There could be even more rain in California’s long-term forecast. New estimates from the World Meteorological Organization put good odds on the Pacific Ocean breaking from its three-year La Niña pattern and ushering the return of El Niño. In California, that generally means more rain and accompanying landslides, floods and coastal erosion.
Shored up? If coastal erosion in the face of rising seas is a public policy concern, you wouldn’t know it from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s draft budget. As CalMatters’ environment reporter Julie Cart explains, the governor proposes to cut funding for coastal resilience projects by 43% in the face of a more-than-$20 billion deficit.
—Ben Christopher, CALMatters
SACRAMENTO
FEMA hiring locally to continue disaster recovery
The federal agency that responds to the nation’s disasters has launched a hiring process to continue its support of California’s recovery from the winter storms and flooding.
If you are interested in a temporary position with FEMA and a variety of emergency management functions, you can apply through USAJobs.gov. Applicants will be called for interviews at a later date.
FEMA’s mission is “helping people before, during and after disasters.” The agency recognizes the best way to do so is to employ the talents of residents already familiar with the affected communities. By hiring a multilingual workforce locally, FEMA can staff its disaster operations, allow survivors to get back to work, and aid in the long-term recovery of the local community. Local hires who represent our diverse society, including people with disabilities, bring a special understanding of the problems their fellow survivors face.
Positions are available for planners, environmentalists, and IT specialists among others in Chico, Oakland, Pasadena and Sacramento.
Working for the federal government has its perks including excellent benefits, flexible work schedules, opportunities for professional growth, stability, and lateral movement across agencies.
For the latest information on California’s recovery from the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, visit FEMA.gov/disaster/4683. You may also follow twitter.com/Cal_OES, facebook.com/CaliforniaOES, @FEMARegion9/Twitter and Facebook.com/FEMA.
—Submitted
