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Situation Summary Report #4

DATE OF INCIDENT: July 14-15, 2024
REPORT DATE: July 19, 2024
REPORT TIME: 5:30 p.m.

City staff has and continues to diligently work to mitigate the impacts from Sunday and Monday's rain events. While some homeowners experienced only a sprinkle, others had mud enter front yards, back yards, garages, and, in some cases, the actual home.

While the City does not have the authority nor financial resources to fund the repair of private property or cover costs associated with natural disasters, the City remains committed to identifying and connecting residents to available resources.

Sandbags: Fire Station 44, located at 6560 Adobe Road, will continue to provide sandbags to the community. So far this week, Station 44 has distributed over 2,000 sandbags. City Hall requested and received 1,000 sandbags. A limited number of sandbags per resident are available for pick up at City Hall during regular operating hours. Staff recommends having sandbags on hand in the event of future storm events.

Personal Hygiene Kits: The City obtained personal hygiene kits from San Bernardino County OES. These kits are available at City Hall for pick up during regular business hours. These kits contain one 8oz bottle of shampoo/body wash, one small stick deodorant, one 4oz bottle of mouth rinse, two small toothbrushes, one small 1.2W monocrystalline solar charger, and one Life Straw personal water filter.

Debris Removal: City staff has secured four 40-yard trash bins for residents' use for storm-related debris. These bins have been located at:

  1. Southeast corner of Split Rock and El Paseo
  2. East side of Chia Avenue north of Gorgonio Drive
  3. Behind City Hall, which is located at 6136 Adobe Road
  4. Encelia Avenue immediately south of Samarkand Drive in front of the cemetery. As of today, July 19, this Encelia/Samarkand Drive bin is full. Burrtec plans on emptying and returning this bin tomorrow morning, July 20. Burrtec will assess the fullness of the other three bins and unload as necessary.

City Staff took Burrtec's Coachella Valley leadership team on a tour of affected areas Thursday morning. Burrtec is evaluating what services Burrtec can offer which will make debris disposal easier for impacted residents.

San Bernardino County Fire District: 

The Fire District would like to remind residents of online resources available to assist with natural disaster preparation. Please log on to SBCFire.org, check out some of the online resources under the "Safety" tab, and navigate to the "Natural Disaster Preparedness" section. You will find resources to review during an Earthquake, Wildfire, and Flood there.

While on SBCFire.org, please take a minute and look under the "Services" tab, and you will find the "Alert Warning System" link under the "Office of Emergency Services" tab. You will see two options at the top once you click on the "Alert Warning System." One is to enroll in the Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS). This is a great tool to enroll in, as you will receive communications on potential dangers.

The other item available to download is the San Bernardino Ready App (ReadySBCounty), available on iOS and Android. It offers residents additional resources to prepare for natural disasters (before, during, and after the event). It will assist in creating a personal plan and provide video and PDF resources to reference.

For those with insurance: Contact your insurance company to verify your insurance coverage. Your insurance company will help you navigate documenting damage, contacting available contractors, and remediating damage.

Red Cross: The Red Cross, as a stand-alone organization, is working to assess resident needs. Depending on the damage to the inside of a home, the Red Cross may be of assistance. The Red Cross can be reached at (800) 675-5799. Currently, the Red Cross is compelled to follow FEMA guidelines when assessing damage and distributing any potential aid. These guidelines are:

  • For single-family homes and apartments, 18" or more of water, sewage, or mud on the main living floor or that covers electrical outlets.
  • For manufactured (mobile) homes, if water impacts the floor system (to include belly board insulation, duct work, and subflooring) or a waterline up to 12" within the living area.

San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services: The City Manager's Office is in direct communication with County OES to determine if the County has resources to offer Twentynine Palms residents. The City is also working to determine if the amount of flood damage exceeds the required financial thresholds for County, State, and/or Federal intervention.

FEMA: FEMA activation requires significant and severe regional property damage. Requests for aid shall be elevated through the County to the State. The Stafford Act (§401) requires the State Governor's Office deem the disaster of such magnitude the State Governor requests the President of the United States declare a major disaster exists and FEMA aid is appropriate.

 

Team Rubicon: Mayor Bilderain, Councilmember Scott, and the City Manager's Office took Team Rubicon's senior leadership on a three-hour tour of affected areas on Wednesday. City staff is working closely with Team Rubicon in hopes Team Rubicon can allocate resources and manpower to assist our community with clearing flood materials and flood-damaged debris from inside their homes. Team Rubicon will be back in the Twentynine Palms community tomorrow, Friday, morning to continue their assessment. If your home or property have been severely impacted and you would like help from Team Rubicon to clean out your home, please immediately email info@29palms.org with the below information. Put "Team Rubicon Request" in the title of your email. Please include:

  1. Full Name (For example: Sarah Rodriguez)
  2. Full address (For example: 123 Main Street, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277)
  3. Contact phone number [(760) 123-3456]
  4. Email address
  5. Are you currently residing in your home? (Yes or No)
  6. Do you have electrical power, water service, and a working septic system? (Yes or No) If no, identify which utility has failed.
  7. Specifically identify what damage has occurred to your home. (For example: I have significant debris in my front yard and three inches of mud in my home, and I need Team Rubicon's help in removing carpets, flooring, drywall, and/or other debris from the inside of my home).

Please respond to these specific questions in the order identified above. Failure to number your responses and answer each question may delay or prevent you from receiving an evaluation. Submitting a request does NOT guarantee an evaluation or assistance. Having completed the land tour, Team Rubicon representatives will forward our assistance request through Team Rubicon's chain of command. Team Rubicon will determine if Team Rubicon has the resources and manpower to respond to our community needs. Team Rubicon's decision to assist or not assist our community is outside the City's control.

Grant Funds: Rumors are circulating on various social media websites that the City has received and are dispersing grant funds for the reconstruction of impacted homes. Unfortunately, these are only rumors. The City is not aware of any grants which could be used for home reconstruction. The City has requested homeowners contact the City with requests for service so (i) the City understands how our residents have been impacted, (ii) what neighborhoods have been hit hardest, and (iii) what outside agency services could potentially help our residents. Unfortunately, the City does not have the funding nor legal authority to provide public funds for the reconstruction of private homes. If grant opportunities become available, City staff will most certainly explore.

For those displaced from your homes: City staff have contacted several hotels within our community and requested discounted hotel rates be offered to displaced residents. While we expect this list of participating hotels will increase, to date, the following hotels are willing to provide displaced Twentynine Palms residents discounted rates:

  • Motel 6: (760) 904-6992; 72562 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
  • SureStay by Best Western: (760) 367-9141; 71487 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Road Closures:

  • Adobe Road should be reopened between Raymond Drive and Amboy Road by Saturday, July 20, 2024.
  • Bullion Mountain Road has been reopened. Proceed with caution as dirt is still on the roadway.
  • Bagdad Highway has been reopened. Proceed with caution as dirt is still on the roadway.
Public Works crews remain committed to clearing roadways of dirt and other debris. Please use extreme caution when driving towards and around all Public Works vehicles. Vehicles driving through closed roads are subject to citation. Cleanup will take weeks to complete.

In Closing: City staff remains committed to assisting the community in response to the July 14 and 15 rain event. The City will provide a follow-up report by or before Friday, July 26, 2024.