Wildfire
USDA Wildfire Recovery Assistance
The Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) has a Wildfire Recovery Assistance fund to provide low-interest loans to those affected by wildfires and various other natural disasters. Visit their website to receive more information about this program.
Respiratory Health
The recent wildfires are creating dangerous air pollution in our region. The biggest threat to your health is from inhaling the smoke. Protect your lungs by staying indoors whenever possible, and wearing a respirator mask when outdoors. An N95 respirator is the minimum protection recommended, while a P100 will provide additional protection from petroleum-based chemicals and smaller particles. If you'd like to read more about masks, the FDA has guidance on different types of masks.
Some groups are more vulnerable to health impacts from the smoke and should take extra precaution during this time, including children, elders, and people with respiratory and heart conditions. If you are a garden educator working with kids, please consider activities that can be done inside until air quality improves.
Produce Safety
During the fires in Sonoma County last fall 2017, many local food growers expressed concern about the impact of the wildfire smoke on the food safety of our local produce. Since then, a group of researchers and concerned community members have been investigating this question. The Produce Safety after Urban Wildfire project will be releasing a final report in early 2019. However, due to this current air pollution emergency, they would like to share that the lab results from their plant samples do not show extensive contamination of produce exposed to wildfire smoke, and our findings suggest a low health risk from ingesting produce exposed to wildfire smoke.
Fresh produce, especially green leafy vegetables, are critical for nutrition and promoting the body’s resilience to the health impacts of smoke. To further reduce risk of contamination, wash produce with running water and remove outer leaves or peels and wash hands after harvesting produce or coming in contact with soil and ash.
