Special Fund to Aid County Employees Who Lost Their Homes
The recent firestorms that devastated a number of our counties left a path of unfathomable destruction. Beyond the tragic loss of life, thousands of residents lost everything as they fled with only what they could put in their vehicles in a matter of minutes, including hundreds of members of the county family. The commitment of these county employees, many of whom lost their homes yet continued to serve at local assistance centers, underscores an inspiring commitment to public service.
It is during tragic times like this when the entire county family must come together. CSAC is proposing two ways people can help: First, you can donate to a newly created fund that will help county staff who have lost their homes; second, California counties can assist the impacted counties through mutual aid during the recovery process.
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank
County staff is there every day providing vital county services. Now is our opportunity to help those staff members impacted by the fires. In that light, CSAC and the California Association of County Executives, (CACE) have established The County Family Fire Fund to assist our impacted colleagues in rebuilding their homes and their lives. Please click this link for more information about how you can donate.
The impacted counties face a long and difficult road to recovery. It will take months and even years to rebuild communities and re-populate thousands of displaced individuals and families. CSAC is working closely with the Governor’s Office to ensure those counties have the resources they need and that state policies are in place to speed the recovery and rebuilding.
But our counties will need more than that; they are going to need the assistance of additional county staff to address hazardous waste removal, property reassessments, expedited building permits, and much more. As specific requests for mutual aid arise, we hope other counties can help provide that assistance to help rebuild these communities. And for those that have gone through their own natural disasters, we encourage you to reach out and share your best practices and support.
We should also not forget about the substantial impacts to the broader communities in the impacted counties. Many thousands of other Northern Californians are also severely impacted from the loss of their jobs, homes and possessions. Various funds for fire victims have been set up to help address their immediate and long-term needs. There are funds for specific counties, or those focused on a multi-county impacted region. Please access those resources at this link.
Please feel free to share this correspondence with your staff, colleagues, and friends. Together, we can help those people impacted by the fires recover and rebuild from this devastation. As CSAC’s Immediate Past President Richard Forster would say, we are “one family 58 strong.” In times of tragedy, it is critical for a family to come together and show that we are #CACountyStrong!