 Shelli and I joined Supervisor Erin Hannigan, at left, for a firsthand look at the amazing volunteer response happening at the emergency Large Animal Evacuation Center at the Solano County Fairgrounds.
Volunteers, donations make Solano County animal evacuation center a welcome place for animals and their owners
Given all of the fear and anxiety that
the Atlas Fire has brought residents of Solano County the last week, one thing
that has brought a welcome sense of calm is the volunteer response we’ve seen in our shelters.
Solano Community College has been a
respite for those displaced from their homes. And while the fire has traveled
across miles of rangeland, livestock owners in harm’s way have relied on the
Solano County Fairgrounds and an army of volunteers-including veterinarians
from across California-who are ready to take in anything from a Buff Lace
Polish rooster or Barbados sheep to an American Paint Horse.
While fire crews continue to do an
incredible job battling a blaze which has so far consumed more than 48,000 acres
and is 27 percent contained, volunteers are streaming into the fairgrounds in
Vallejo from Solano County and beyond to deliver donations of feed, bedding, and
medicine for the hundreds of animals who have been given temporary, emergency
shelter there.
District One Supervisor and Vice
Chair Erin Hannigan, who has gone to great lengths to keep things working
smoothly at the Fairgrounds, walked me through the operation Friday.
What could have been a chaotic scene
amid the thick smoke wafting down into Vallejo was one of organization,
patience and care. I saw coordinators regularly gather up volunteers to assign
tasks. Tables were set up for volunteers to administer veterinary supplies and
first aid, if needed. All the while, trucks and trailers streamed in to deliver
supplies. In the stable area, volunteers brushed and exercised horses while
others grabbed hammers to mend doors on the green and white stables that haven’t
housed an animal in roughly a decade.
Twenty-four hours a day, volunteers
are at the ready for the intake of animals, which have come from not just
Solano County, but Napa County as well.
The old horse stables are seeing new
life as they are housing more than 200 horses-some with special dietary and housing
needs.
It is incredible to see the outpouring
of donations from local businesses, individuals and neighboring counties. Bags
of feed, straw bales and hay are stacked high. Hoses, buckets, pallets,
wheelbarrows and tools are all coming in from generous residents and businesses.
The Atlas Fire has scorched more than
48,000 acres of land and will continue to burn for several days. Fortunately,
our residents and their animals have someplace safe to go when faced with an
evacuation.
Volunteers and donations to the
emergency Large Animal Evacuation Center at the Solano County Fairgrounds are still needed. For
a list of needs, visit http://www.scfair.com/EvacCenter2017.html.
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Since 2003, Supervisor John M. Vasquez has had the privilege to represent the 4th Supervisorial District covering Northern Solano County. The district includes portions of Vacaville and Dixon. |
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