Okanogan Conservation District
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The document summarizes the impacts of back-to-back wildfires in Okanogan Conservation District, WA from 2017 to 2019. Over 750,000 acres burned in 17 months, destroying over 450 homes and killing 1,000 cattle. It cost millions in public infrastructure and agricultural losses. Recovery has been long, with $2.3 million already allocated for natural resources and $500k for emergency feed. The roles of conservation districts included preparedness through programs like Firewise, as well as recovery efforts like emergency seeding, technical assistance, and infrastructure rebuilding. The document stresses the importance of pre-disaster planning through trained staff and agreements, as well as taking care of personnel during disaster implementation and recovery.
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Okanogan Conservation District
- 1. Districts & Disasters – What Was Old is New Again 2020 NACD Annual Meeting February 10, 2020 By Craig Nelson - Okanogan Conservation District, WA
- 2. Back to Back Wildfire Years • 750,000 acres in 17 months • 450+ homes destroyed • 3 firefighter fatalities • 1,000+ cattle killed • $ M’s of public and ag infrastructure lost • Destroyed T&E species habitat
- 5. Credit: David Ryders – Reuters News Service
- 21. Recovery is a Long Road • $2.3 million in state funding for natural resources already • $500K in emergency feed • Hydrology risks to be mitigated for 5+ years • Record Floods in 2017 and Drought in 2015 and 2019.
- 22. CD Roles • Preparedness – Firewise – Forest Health – Community Planning – Education – Dry Hydrants • Recovery & Mitigation – BAER Team – Technical Assistance – Seeding – Education – EWP – Ag Infrastructure Rebuild – Emergency Feed.
- 23. Pre-Disaster Planning • Trained staff • Inter-local agreements – Other CDs – Emergency Management • Internal policies – Decision Making Authority – Contracting • Emergency Planning Participation.
- 24. Disaster Implementation • Emergency Declaration • Activate Inter-Local Agreements • Coordinate with IC • Outreach • Collect Damage Information • Report to public and elected officials • Take care of your people • Determine damages and priorities.
- 25. Thank you
Editor's Notes
- Do or Do Not – There is no try.
- 256,000 acres (400 sq. miles) 1/3 size of Rhode Island 4 times the size of Washington, D.C.
- Three Type 1 National Teams in our county at one time
- Fires are personal Photo credit: David Ryders Reuters News Service Was cover photo on Yahoo News approximately 1 week following initial firestorm Photo of my mom and nephew surveying the remnants of her home
- Held community workshops with multiple agencies In the midst of the disaster Open house style
- 1,000s of acres to assess in a short time. Had 8 other CDs send assistance
- Critical to meet with landowners on-site and discuss damages, options, what recovery will look like. Critical to have an empathetic listener for site visits. Make counseling available for technical staff that must do this work.
- - Get out on the land as soon as possible to assess damage Only go where fire teams say it’s okay We were out while mop up crews were still putting out hotspots
- Know your hazards Safety is paramount
- 1,900 miles of livestock and orchard fencing destroyed - $25,000,000 in livestock fencing - $8,000,000 in orchard fencing
- 0.75 inches estimated in about one hour on burned soil Created a 1,000 year flood event
- Significant damage to infrastructure Wenner Lake earthen dam failure Loss of irrigation for over two years Damaged roads Aquatic ecosystem significantly altered
- Implemented EWP 45 High Priority eligible landowners identified and contacted 6 landowners identified as indefensible 15 landowners ultimately accepted project 75% federal and 25% state funds Landowner required to maintain structure for 3 years
- First of its kind inter-agency Burned Area Emergency Response Team Okanogan CD Lead Federal and State Support. First of its kind Immediate analysis and prioritization Guiding document for private landowners and state agencies Multi-agency and discipline Burn severity evaluation Identify post-fire risks Identify values at risk Develop recommendations for high risk values
- Long hours on a short notice Work is dangerous but critical to identifying hazards and risks Teams have been deployed twice in Okanogan County and once in Stevens County
- Rain Gages Critical to warn of flash floods 14 gages installed in 60 days in 2014 5 additional gages installed in 2015 National Weather Service WA Department of Ecology Satellite communication 0.05 inches in 5 minutes trip Converted stream gages.
- Staff training Disaster Specific Disaster management Emergency contracting Community collaboration Communication Emergency Planning Participation Local Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans – CDs listed? Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan