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Mika McKinnon Profile picture
@mikamckinnon
Oct 9, 2017 • 55 tweets • 16 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Dear #California: Need updates on the fires? Text 888777 with your zip code & follow @CAL_FIRE. #napafire #sonomafire #cafire
Want push notifications? Register with Nixle (local.nixle.com/register/) or find your local emergency management's custom notification opt-in.
FAQ on resources, information, and ways to help for the Northern California fires in FB-sharable format: facebook.com/mika.mckinnon/…
Q: Where do I get info?
@Cal_Fire: fire.ca.gov/current_incide…
@CountyofNapa: countyofnapa.org
@CountyofSonoma: sonomacounty.ca.gov
Q: How can I drive out of this mess?
Road closures info:
Napa: gis.napa.ca.gov/Html5Viewer/In…
Sonoma: roadconditions.sonoma-county.org
Q: Where do I flee?
@ABC7 is maintaining a full list of evacuation centers (& assorted closures). Go local news! abc7news.com/full-list-nort…
Q: How do I help?
Volunteer or donate.

As medical centers evacuated, donating blood is also helpful. (All types, but especially O-)
Q: How do I volunteer?
Volunteer via Red Cross (redcross.org/volunteer/volu… or 707-577-7600), CVNL (cvnl.org/volunteerism/e…), or local groups
PLEASE register to volunteer. It's legal protection, is most efficient, provides training, & prevents you from accidentally causing harm.
Q: How do I opt in for emergency notifications?
Check with local emergency management office. In California, it's mostly Nixel or Everbridge
Bay Area opt-in emergency notification:
SF: alertsf.org
Berkeley: warnme.berkeley.edu
Marin: alertmarin.org
More Bay Area opt-in emergency notification systems:
Napa: local.nixle.com/register/
Sonoma: public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/BF70…
Q: I use a smartphone. What apps will help me prepare for emergencies?
A: Download the FEMA app! In California, also grab CalFire app.
Q: How do I donate?
DONATE MONEY. Material goods require logistical work to sort & deliver, often hindering efficiency. Local NGOs are best.
Q: Should I worry about air quality?
Ash (rising PM2.5 counts) aggravates respiratory systems. Try to stay indoors. Masks are rarely useful*
* Most masks can't filter out small particles & they usually aren't put on properly. The result is heavy breathing, thus inhaling ash deeper
If you're a vulnerable population (elderly, child, pregnant, existing respiratory condition), try retreating to a library or mall.
Q: Why are fires spreading so fast?
SoCal has Santa Ana & NorCal has Diablo winds. Inland high pressure drives strong winds through canyons
Prolonged drought & end of summer dry season aren't helping: Lots of dry grass & vegetation make easy fuel for flames.
The new normal sucks.
Q: How can I prevent fires?
>50% of NAm fires are human-caused from unextinguished campfires, tossed cigs, hot cars on dry grass, or sparks.
Q: How can I protect my home from fires?
Declutter & clear vegetation: readyforwildfire.org
Learn via gaming: stopdisastersgame.org/en/
Nearby forests are great (& their moisture can inhibit fire). Trees touching your roof roof & bushes brushing your home are hazardous.
Q: How can I personally prepare?
1. Learn local hazards.
2. Make plans.
3. Pack kits.
4. Practice.
In disaster management, $1 in prevention saves $10 in response.
The same holds for people: A few minutes now will save you stress later.
Disaster preparedness is not an All or Nothing situation. Do what you feel like you can now. Do a little more later. Every bit helps.
Check local emergency management office to volunteer. Keyword in CA is usually Neighbourhood Emergency Response team or program (NERT/NERP)
The Bay Area made enormous efforts to develop truly excellent emergency response volunteer training. It's better than most staff training.
Q: What about the SoCal Anaheim fires?
Opt-in notifications: member.everbridge.net/index/89280773…
See also: @OrangeCountyEOC @AnaheimFire
Communications notes:
1. Sonoma County's website keeps going down.
2. Many regional cell towers are destroyed, creating service deadspots.
If one communication method fails, try another (and another, and another). Designate out-of-area contacts to spread word you're safe.
Locals: ~20k people are under evacuation orders. Let friends know you can shelter, register to billet at evac centers, or offer via AirB&B
Locals: Pets are displaced. Contact SPCA & Humane Societies to offer fostering.
Emergency vet care? RedRover grants: redrover.org/relief/
Livestock is a BIG problem during rural fires like this. Have space for a herd? Reach out to local animal rescue: readyforwildfire.org/Animal-Evacuat…
Better source for road closures:
And the FEMA-vetted list of official sources so you don't RT fake news into already bad days:
Tiny breath of good news: Many @CAL_FIRE updates describe increasing containment (several 100%); few growing quickly
Air Quality is crap today. Monitor on @AIRNow: airnow.gov/index.cfm?acti… Try to stay inside & minimize exposure. Masks usually harm more.
Q: Why don't masks help?
For fires, big concern is ash (PM2.5). Most masks can't filter, poor fit renders useless.
It takes a N95 mask to filter out particles, fitted to sit fully against your skin (no beard hair!). Any gap renders it useless-to-harmful.
Dear California: I love you, but DO NOT SELF-DEPLOY INTO DISASTER ZONES. Please help through response structures like evac centers & NGOs.
Donate cash. Donate blood. If you're near an evac center, see if they're asking for specific goods. Details: sfgate.com/local/amp/how-…
If you want to donate time, Red Cross is coordinating: 707-577-7600 or redcross.org/volunteer/volu…
Or find local NGO with existing relationship.
Local organizations have existing ties with emergency response. They're in communication, they have a role, they know what to do. Help them.
Self-deploying into a disaster creates another moving piece to manage, duplicates effort, & puts you in danger. Help through NGOs. Please?
Aside: I really appreciate that @Cal_Fire consistently adds photo credit watermarks prior to posting.
Worried about pets? @RedRoverOrg compiled resources: redrover.org/news/resources…
Their grants help injured pets (apply or donate at same link)
Hey California? Your fire danger is so high, you don't want to look angrily at grass for fear of generating sparks.
Erika is running a great coverage-thread of the California fires press conference.
Reminder: After first 24hrs of chaos, DONATE CASH. Materials have too much logistical overhead to sort & distribute.
This is a solid-actionable list of ways to help survivors of the California North Bay fires: pressdemocrat.com/news/7512190-1…
Reminder: Use a tightly-fitted N95 mask to filter ash particles, or nothing. Inadequate or poorly-fit masks are useless-to-harmful.
N99&N100 masks work, but are harder to find. N95 masks filter out 95% of small particles (PM2.5 ash). N99 filters 99%, N100 filters 100%
The rest of the US should be grateful smoke is blowing offshore so they're not choking on California burning:
Wind + Fire = yet more rough days ahead for North Bay:
That's a lot of displaced people.

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More from @mikamckinnon

Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Oct 2, 2018
A woman won the Nobel Prize in Physics?!?!?!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Right. Time to learn about Donna Strickland, the 3rd woman to EVER be awarded the prize. cbc.ca/news/technolog…
I still think the Nobel Prizes (particularly for physics) are sexist garbage with this whole “50 years between each woman” trend they’ve got going on, but I’ll take learning a new name, dammit.

& she’s not even a variant of Maria!!!
I’m not covering the Nobel Prizes, but if any of my women scicomm peeps are doing explainers on chirped pulse amplification of lasers, please ping so I can boost your work. 💥
Read 21 tweets
Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Sep 14, 2018
I made a plea for compassion for people who didn’t evacuate. It included the dreaded p-word.

My inbox has been ...interesting.
Camp 1: “THANK YOU! Me/my people can’t evac because xyz. Of course I don’t want to die or endanger rescuers; I did the best I can!”

Their stories are making me so fiercely proud of how determined they are to survive in the face of overwhelming odds against them.
Camp 2: “I live in a country where society has higher standards for providing basic healthcare. What do you mean America doesn’t ensure everyone can evacuate?! Surely not!”

Yeah, I KNOW. It’s unreal.
Read 7 tweets
Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Sep 13, 2018
For very specific technical reasons:
- It takes until well after a disaster to establish the official death count as we prioritize saving lives.

- Official death counts are conservative: actual recovered bodies with cause of death linked to the disaster.
Recovering bodies is not always feasible, especially as disasters have a nasty habit of killing response personal.

In BC, the Hope landslide is a grave for 4 people whose bodies were never recovered from under the 47 million cubic meters of rock.
Estimated death counts are extremely tricky. You need to think extremely critically about every assumption made.

Often an actual number is less important than a qualitative description: Every family was devastated. Infrastructure was destroyed for months. Daily life ended.
Read 7 tweets
Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Sep 10, 2018
I hate the New Normal, redux:
Dear south coast: If you’re under mandatory evacuation orders, pack up and LEAVE.

Listen to your local officials. Please?

Info for SC in advance of Hurricane Florence:
Even if you think it’s excessive, or over-cautious, or you’ve survived worse. I promise emergency managers don’t issue orders for their own entertainment.

Evac orders are a damn hard call between logistics, vulnerability of destabilization, & loss of trust if it’s conservative.
Read 19 tweets
Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Sep 4, 2018
Oh no. It’s the most contentious time of the year for geo-folk. I usually stay out of it, but some of these minerals are going to make me stan hard.

Lineup below. Hashtag to Follow or Mute is #MinCup2018
Round 1: Olivine vs Diamond:
Olivine is the defending champion. Here’s why it’s badass from my Ode to Olivibe last #MinCup:
Read 17 tweets
Mika McKinnon Profile picture
Aug 30, 2018
@markmccaughrean 1. The text of the resolution changed since Monday. Neither the conference website nor the eNewspaper has the updated text.
@markmccaughrean 2. The two head dudes presented their argument to rename, allowed a few comments with no rhyme or reason, ate time refuting criticism, & only named speakers who supported them, before cutting off comment without warning to give a closing statement of support.
@markmccaughrean 3. The Nay vote was presented as “rejection to approve,” because that’s not at all confusing.
Read 9 tweets

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