Fleeing the Glass fire? Here’s how to get help

As dawn broke Tuesday, more than 68,000 Sonoma County residents had been evacuated due to the Glass fire. Here’s where to get help if you are among them:

If your home survived, was lost, or you don’t know yet:

You can seek shelter at any of Sonoma County’s established congregate shelters or evacuation checkpoints. Some, including the Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, have remained at maximum capacity through Tuesday.

Not all areas offer overnight shelter; several provide only parking areas for evacuees to sleep in their cars. Basic services including food, water and access to restrooms and electrical outlets are available at most of the sites.

Evacuees who are considered at high risk for COVID-19 may be able to seek indoor shelter at either Sonoma State University in campus housing, or at Finley Community Center.

Redwood Empire Food Bank can help with food services. The nonprofit’s online Food Finder can help you find the services nearest you. Alternatively, you can call 707-523-7903.

Staff are prepared to help feed those without access to refrigerators or stoves, said Rachelle Mesheau, communications manager.

Sonoma Family Meal is also serving more than 1,000 meals a day to fire evacuees at evacuation centers. Updates are being posted to the nonprofit’s website and Facebook page.

Households can apply for financial help from CalFresh to cover the cost to replace lost food during a disaster.

Surviving a fire is a traumatic event. A variety of mental health supports is available for anyone who needs someone to talk things out. Sonoma County’s mental health warm line (meaning it’s intended for noncrisis calls) is staffed from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Call 707-565-2652 or visit the county website for more information. Service in Spanish and translation services for other languages are available at this warm line.

You can also reach trained staff from the Sonoma County National Alliance on Mental Illness weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays. In addition to a warm line that you can call or text at 866-960-6264, you can also email the team.

If you’ve lost your home

You’ll find resources on the Sonoma County Assessor’s Office’s website with information on the form to reassess your property after a disaster, changing your mailing address and updating your voter registration, among other actions.

The website addresses residents affected by the August LNU Complex fires, but Deva Marie Proto, county clerk, recorder and assessor, confirmed that the resources are relevant for those affected by the Glass fire, as well.

If you lost vital records such as birth, death or marriage certificates, visit the county clerk-recorder-assessor landing page for information about replacing them.

Federal disaster relief is available to residents of Sonoma and Napa counties through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Grants can help cover the cost of basic repairs to a home, rent, medical expenses or other serious needs related to the fires that are not covered by insurance.

Call the FEMA Disaster Assistance Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 for more information or help.

If you’ve evacuated with animals (or are preparing for it)

Sonoma County Animal Services provides a variety of services for Glass fire evacuees with pets and livestock, including:

• Temporary boarding for livestock animals and horses
• Temporary boarding for pets (with relevant vaccination information)
• Food and water drops for livestock
• Access to livestock in evacuation areas

The Sonoma Community Animal Response Team also offers up-to-date information about animal services available to owners, broken down by animal categories. You can also reach the team by phone at 707-861-0699.

If you’ve lost your pet while evacuating, check the Sonoma County Animal Shelter or the North Bay Animal Services shelter.

This list is being updated. If you have knowledge of additional resources for evacuees, email Kaylee Tornay.

Grace Yarrow contributed reporting. You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.