Saturday, February 5, 2011

YESTERDAY'S TRUCK/TRAILER FIASCO: UNACCEPTABLE (AND DANGEROUS)

The third section (approx 14x90) still at the bottom of Deerhorn Valley Rd.  late Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday's truck-trailer fiasco was foolish, unnecessary, unacceptable, – and VERY serious.   Look how easily our only access and evacuation routes to Upper Deerhorn and Mother Grundy were blocked. One stalled truck was all it took.  Could have as easily been a downed tree or power pole during a wildfire.  If you had needed medical or fire assistance during that time, would paramedics or firefighter be able to reach you?  Not if you lived off of Deerhorn Valley Rd.
Thank you to all of you neighbors who took time to relay information.  It started with a call from Ariele J about noon when Deerhorn Valley Rd. access was blocked.  Later toward evening residents from Mother Grundy started sending emails and texts: Upper Mother Grundy was blocked, power lines had been knocked down to one home at least, leaving elderly residents without heat, water, phone.  Neighbors continued to follow the trucks' progress down Mother Grundy ...to Via Pamela ...and on to Via Laura.  Text messages, phone calls, Twitter tweets, Facebook postings, along with more email.
Hopefully the contractor will repair the damages done– and the next contrator will make sure road preparation is properly completed BEFORE the modules arrive. (The contractor responsible for yesterday's drama was GJ Fletcher Construction in Alpine.)
Contractor GJ Fletcher Construction from Descanso was responsible for  moving the modular sections .
SO HERE IS A WAKEUP CALL for us, our friends, and our backcountry neighbors:  If you got an email Antler Alert... great.  BUT PLEASE try to set up least one other source of information.  It's so much easier to do now, rather than in the middle of the next emergency.  It isn't hard.  And maybe you'll never need to use it.   But know that there are ways we can stay connected, even during the worst of emergencies:

DEERHORN VALLEY"BLOG" (short for "web log"): 
You're already at our DV Blog site. There is a comment button below. The BEST thing is that information can be shared back and forth, instead of it just going through one person.  Facebook and Twitter have the same advantage.  Things don't depend on just one person or one computer.
Deerhorn Valley Facebook page is "open" to everyone, and a place to bookmark, even if you don't want to use it now.  FB pages have proven themselves during emergencies: post information, ask questions, find out the current information from people who are neighbors and friends, instead of waiting for media, who are unfamiliar with our backcountry... if they even know we're here.
Feeling braver?  Try a Twitter Account (free) and "follow" the Emergency pages (CalFire, Sheriff, etc.)  A link to the list I use is on the upper right hand side of Deerhorn's Twitter Page.  You'll get periodic "Tweets" from agencies (and people) you choose.  They are short (140 characters or less.  Getting too many?  Just "unfollow" the source.
EMAIL ALERTS: Antler E-mail Alerts: (deerhornvalley.net/antler) 
Viejas Emergency Alerts (eastcountymagazine.org)
These work well, as long as someone is at a computer and has the email addresses. It pretty much boils down to just a couple of people, so when we aren't available or don't get the information--- the system breaks down.  But when it works, it's great.

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