Supervisor Patrick Kennedy COVID-19 Update: Excessive Heat Resources, Votes Centers Needed, Testing and Levee Updates

Sacramento County, California sent this bulletin at 08/14/2020 04:12 PM PDT

PK Logo

Friends,

As we continue to carry on in such unusual circumstances, I will continue to keep you updated with information that I hope you find useful. I hope the information below is not an exception. In the meantime, I leave you with an e-smile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqrx7jN_om8. Smiling is an important remedy to what may get us down.

Please stay safe, healthy and happy (mask up and social distance)!

Patrick

Drinking Water

Extreme Heat Over the Next Week In Sacramento-

Cooling Centers, Resources, Tips

Cooling Centers

Each cooling center location will follow the CDPH Cooling Center guidelines. As of Aug 13, below is the available information about cooling centers. For the latest Cooling Center locations, dates and hours, dial 2-1-1 or go to www.211sacramento.org.

  • City of Sacramento
    • Hagginwood Community Center, 3271 Marysville Blvd, Friday – Wednesday 1 – 8 pm
    • George Sim Community Center, 6207 Logan St, Friday – Wednesday 1 – 8 pm
  • Elk Grove
    • Wackford Center, 9014 Bruceville Rd, Friday-Wednesday, 1 - 9 pm
  • Galt
    • Chabolla Community Center, 600 Chabolla Ave, Friday-Wednesday, 11 am - 8 pm
  • Folsom
    • Folsom City Senior & Arts Center, 48 Natoma Street Folsom, Ca 95824 Friday – Wednesday Noon – 7 pm
  • Rancho Cordova
    • City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Dr, Friday-Wednesday, Noon - 6 pm

Link to map that will stay updated as locations are changed

Heat Tips

Sacramento County​ reminds you to take precautions as temperatures climb and to keep yourself, your family, your neighbors and your pets cool, and remember to check on seniors and those with mobility issues at least twice a day.  

Keep as cool and hydrated as possible; drink plenty of water, avoid activities during the hottest part of the day as much as possible.  Cooling down a few hours a day will allow the body to recover and tolerate the heat better for the rest of the day.  

Tips for Beating the Heat:

  • Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of cool water. Avoid alcohol. Avoid hot, heavy meals.
  • Limit sun exposure – When possible, stay in air conditioning on hot days. If you don’t have air conditioning, take cool showers, dampen or freeze a wet cloth to wipe down your head and neck.
  • Check on loved ones – Be sure to check on less-mobile or older friends, family and neighbors who live alone, may not have or know to use air conditioning.
  • Clothing - Wear lightweigh​t, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing 
  • Beware of hot cars – Never leave a person or a pet in a parked car, even for a short time. On a ​mild 80-degree day, the temperature inside a car can reach 100-degrees in fewer than 10 minutes.
  • Avoid the hottest part of the day – If you have to be outside, try to stick to the cooler morning and evening hours. Wear light, loose clothing and take frequent, shaded or air-conditioned breaks.  Do not exercise outside during the hottest part of the day.
  • Keep your pets cool – Give your pets plenty of fresh, clean water. Don’t exercise your pets in high temperatures or when the pavement is hot. Make sure they have a shady place to get out of the sun or bring them indoors.
  • Sunscreen – Protect your skin against cancer, burns and skin damage by using SPF 30 or higher.
  • Stay informed – Watch your local weather forecasts so you can plan outdoor activities safely and pay attention to any extreme heat alerts.

 Senior Specific Tips

It’s important to know that seniors may not realize when they are overheated, dehydrated and in danger. Compounding the risk for seniors, some medications and chronic health conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, dementia, and diabetes, cause seniors to not sweat effectively to cool down and they can have poorer circulation. If seniors need additional services, call 2-1-1 to find out about available services.

Check on seniors twice a day and encourage seniors to:

  • Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, such as cotton or other natural fabrics – stay away from man-made fabrics such as lycra and polyester.
  • Drink water or juice throughout the day as some do not always sense thirst and will go long periods of time without taking in fluids.
  • Use air conditioning or fans in their homes or rooms.
    • Many seniors are on fixed incomes making them hesitant to use air conditioning even if it is available. Remind them that a few hours of cooler temperatures allows their body to recover.
  • Minimizing activities that generate heat in the home, for example, use a microwave to cook instead of the oven.

All age groups need to take precautions to avoid heat stress. While older adults and children are at higher risk to develop heat exhaustion or heatstroke, those in their twenties visit hospitals most due to heat exposure.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:

  • Heavy sweating
  • Paleness
  • Muscle cramps
  • Tiredness
  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Fainting

Warning signs for heat stroke are severe and include: 

  • High body temperature
  • Absence of sweating and hot red or flushed dry skin
  • Rapid pulse
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Strange behavior/hallucinations/confusion/agitation
  • Seizure
  • Coma
  • If you or someone you know is experiencing any severe symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.  

Sacramento County and the Office of Emergency Services will continue to monitor the temperatures over the next week.

Resources:

Sac County Votes

Vote Centers Needed

Please help get out the word to business owners, community organizations, school districts and government facilities that we need Vote Center locations!

Sacramento County is required, by law, to provide 84 Vote Centers for the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election. There are 53 confirmed, but it has been difficult to find locations willing to be a host with everything else going on. Many locations that were used in the past, including schools and community centers, are hosting day cares, employment assistance programs, COVID testing, and food distribution – all very important services but rendering locations unavailable for elections.

"There are a lot of things that people can think about outside of the box -- it doesn't just have to be your local community center or government building," said county spokesperson Janna Haynes "There are a lot of community-based organizations that have an extra conference room or a meeting area, schools, churches, a lot of these places have facilities that they may not be using all the time. We are hoping this might trigger something, that they might contact us and we can see if the space might work."

Vote Centers are need to be open Oct 31 – Nov 3. ANY space will be considered, no matter how large or small, and locations in Natomas, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Folsom are especially needed. But again, the county is willing to look at ANYTHING and ANYWHERE in Sacramento County!  Deep cleaning services after the election are also being offered to any location.

The goal is to confirm locations by August 28 to be included in our County Voter Information Guide. If you think you may have space available contact the county at elections.saccounty.net.

Sac County COVID19 Update

COVID-19 Community Testing Sites-Get Results in 72 Hours

Please help us spread the word about the availability of critical COVID-19 testing and 72-hour results for Sacramento County residents at our community-based testing sites.  This was made possible through the appropriation of 13.5 million dollars in CARES Act funding at this past Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

Sacramento County, through its partnership with StemExpress, has 10 community based testing sites (two per weekday) every week that:

  • Have available appointments,
  • Free to residents regardless of insurance or citizenship status
  • Can test children 2 years or older
  • Test results within 72 hours (even on weekends)*
  • Each site has 200-300 tests per day

*Results will be delivered either by email or phone call, depending on patient preference. However, please note that StemExpress will not leave a message with results, so please answer your phone or opt for email results!

Read the SacCounty Community Testing Locations and FAQs.​

​​For a full list of testing sites and links to make appointments, visit the Sacramento County COVID-19 Testing webpage.

Also, see full list below:

MONDAY 
8:00 AM - Noon 
Liberty Towers Church
5132 Elkhorn Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95842
Appointments: 916-583-8877 or​ https://libertytowerscommunity.setmore.com 

1:00 – 5:00 PM
La Familia Maple Neighborhood Center
3301 37th Ave., Room 7, Sacramento, CA 95824 (park on 36th Ave)
Appointments: 916-990-1311 or https://lafamiliamaple.setmore.com

TUESDAY 
8:00 AM - Noon​​
Natomas Unified School District
1931 Arena Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95934
Appointments: 916-561-5253 or https://natomasunified.setmore.com​​

1:00 - 5:00 PM
Folsom-Cordova Community Partnership Center
10665 Coloma Rd., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Appointments: 916-361-8684, or https://folsomcordova.setmore.com 

WEDNESDAY 
8:00 AM - Noon 
Oak Hills Church
1100 Blue Ravine Rd., Folsom, CA 95630
Appointments: https://folsom.setmore.com​​

1:00 – 5:00 PM
Tetteh Pediatric Health​
7248 S Land Park Dr.​, Suite 118, Sacramento, CA 95831 Appointments: https://bit.ly/TPH_C19 

THURSDAY
8:00 AM - Noon
Galt Parks & Recreation Classrooms
610 Chabolla Ave., Galt, CA 95632
Appointments: 209-366-7180 or https://galt7662.setmore.com​​

1:00 – 5:00 PM
Robertsons Community Center
3525 Norwood Ave., Sacramento, CA 95838
Appointments: 916-567-9567 or https://robertsonscommunitycenter.setmore.com

FRIDAY 
8:00 AM - Noon​
South Sacramento Christian Center
7710 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95823
Appointments: 916-681-6791 or https://southsacramentochristiancenter.setmore.com​​

1:00 – 5:00 PM
St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church 
3996 14th Ave., Sacramento County, CA 95820
Appointments: 916-573-3555​ or https://stpaul039s.setmore.com/ ​

Sacramento River

Levee Construction Update

Highlights (last 30 days)

Sacramento River East Levee Contract 1 Construction Activity

Construction activities are fully underway to include continued material/equipment delivery/erection, batch plant installations, and installation of three segments of cutoff walls and the beginning of rebuilding the levee north of Sutterville Rd!

Looking Ahead (next 30+ days)

Construction Update - What can I expect?

Construction activity to continue aggressively and working hours to extend to 7pm.  This is a large flood risk reduction project that is required to be complete within a short window outside of the flood season.  Construction is taking place in very limited space and within close proximity to homes.  You will notice large construction equipment, significant truck traffic, there will be increased dust and noise in the area and the bicycle path will be closed throughout construction.  Working Hours: Monday– Saturday 7am-7pm, with quiet work extending until 8pm.

Freeport Regional Water Facility Staging 

  • Slurry Pond/1250 excavator demobilization
  • Typical office traffic

Garcia Bend Park Staging 

  • Slurry pond and batch plant operations
  • Bentonite and cement deliveries daily

Big Pocket

  • Deep-Mix-Method cutoff wall begins
  • Traditional cutoff wall installation begins with multiple headings

Little Pocket 

  • Deep cutoff wall begins
  • Erosion repair begins

Sutterville 

  • Rebuild the levee/bike path paving/hydroseeding/demobilization
  • Truck Traffic = 40 trucks/day

Miller Park 

  • Continued construction of seepage berm
  • Utility relocation
  • Parking stalls will remain open Saturday and Sunday.
  • Truck Traffic = 25 trucks/day

Question of the Month

What would happen if this work wasn’t completed?  

Our flood risk is managed by a series of levees, dams and other measures working together to create a system. Our levee system is only as strong as its weakest link, and now many of California’s levees are being asked to do much more than they were built or designed for. Many Central Valley levees are more than 75 years old and aren’t built to modern engineering standards, yet they need to reduce risk to a much larger population than lived behind them when they were built. Long story short: modernizing the levees is costly, time consuming and sometimes inconvenient but it reduces the risk to lives, property and critical infrastructure, and it will be far cheaper than the cost of a major flood disaster in the region. 

Project Webpage: www.sacleveeupgrades.com 
Sacramento District Homepage: www.spk.usace.army.mil
Contact Information: 916-557-5100  spk-pao@usace.army.mil