PD Editorial: Coffey Strong rebuilt a community

A tip of the cap to Coffey Strong, one of the most successful grassroots efforts we’ve ever seen in Sonoma County.|
THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Editorials represent the views of The Press Democrat editorial board and The Press Democrat as an institution. The editorial board and the newsroom operate separately and independently of one another.

A tip of the cap to Coffey Strong, one of the most successful grassroots efforts we’ve ever seen in Sonoma County. The group formed after the 2017 Tubbs fire, which incinerated more than 1,400 homes in Coffey Park. The goal: to help residents of the northwest Santa Rosa neighborhood maneuver the rebuilding process — insurers, government agencies, public utilities and contractors. Four years later, with 95% of the homes rebuilt or under construction, their mission is all but accomplished.

“Our mission was helping people get back in their homes as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Steve Rahmn, the group’s president, told Staff Writer Austin Murphy. The nonprofit group was involved in every aspect of the fire recovery, from debris removal to restoration of the neighborhood’s namesake park. “They were amazing and accomplished a lot,” said Jesse Oswald, the city of Santa Rosa’s chief building official.

In addition to their work in Santa Rosa, members of Coffey Strong traveled to Butte County to help victims of the 2018 Camp fire, which destroyed thousands of homes in the town of Paradise. During a session covered by the Paradise Post newspaper, Anne Barbour of Coffey Strong told the Butte County fire victims: “Step up, and take your town back, because what we’ve created is one hell of a community.” We couldn’t have said it better.

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Editorials represent the views of The Press Democrat editorial board and The Press Democrat as an institution. The editorial board and the newsroom operate separately and independently of one another.

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