A First Response Network to Feed People During a Disaster in the Sonoma Valley

In a major disaster, residents and visitors in the Sonoma Valley could be cut off from food and services for at least 72 hours before outside help reaches us from "over the hill" or beyond. Bridges and services could be impassible, with communities divided into "islands" separated by the Valley's deep creek beds and topographic divides. Elderly people and children, the most vulnerable among us, could be separated from family support, making do with resources at hand on their "island" for 72 hours until help arrives.

Responding to that challenge, a group of local restaurateurs and local leaders have formed a first-response volunteer-network established to feed displaced people in the aftermath of a major disaster in the Sonoma Valley.

The volunteer network includes:

• Restaurants and cafes - the emergency food centers in a disaster,
• Food trucks - as emergency food providers in the outlying areas,
• Growers, stores and businesses with stocks of fresh and prepared foods, hardware and equipment to support the relief effort,
• Transport companies - sources of taxis, busses, trucks and automobiles.
• Communications networks for vital communication both inside the network and outside. The local radio station, KSVY 91.3, is a participant.
• Volunteers and service organizations - the sources of the people to operate the network in times of readiness and for emergency response.

Before an emergency, the network promotes emergency readiness by building volunteer response networks, recruiting participating organizations, providing first-response education materials, and conducting training and drills to increase familiarity and readiness in the communities of the Sonoma Valley. In an emergency, the group goes into action to mobilize its networks to provide food services to residents and visitors displaced by the emergency in the Sonoma Valley.