Morgan: I have Never Seen My Danville Street Look Like a Raging River

Having lived all over the world I have seen my share of tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, floods and earthquakes.

Can we prepare for these type of incidents?

Some say Yes, others say No.

In California, incidents can range from main water breaks, power outages, localized flooding, earthquakes or system contamination.

But lets face it, most of us live in California for the consistent weather and lack of disasters. But this past weekend, we saw the wrath of Mother Nature when she released a river from the sky causing record rainfall, flooding, mudslides with overflowing rivers and creeks.

Fire evacuating and accessing area. Photo by Renee Morgan

I have lived in Danville for over 30 years and have never seen my street look like a raging river! For a day I felt like I lived on an island in Danville.

I am all for washing out the old year but this was a little over the top!

With the recent relocation of our Danville offices, we are well equipped with an Emergency Response Center (ERC) or Emergency Operations Center. These are command centers for emergency preparedness and crisis management teams.

ERC’s act as the central hub for emergency response managers (such as police, fire departments, or the National Guard). From these command centers, decision makers and response teams gather critical information. We use this data to coordinate response activities and manage emergency personnel. We also organize and disperse our amazing maintenance crews and implement our partnership with the outstanding San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, who are a part of this big team.

As an elected official we participate in disaster training. During a disaster or incident we are continuously in contact with our Town Manager, staff and dispersing information to the public.

Photo by Renee Morgan

The Town plans and prepares, but as residents and private property owners we also need to do the same. Please clear your storm drains and keep them free of any debris.

Keep an emergency bag with necessary items and your medications just in case you are evacuated. My father who was a Command Sergeant Major in the Army always had a “Bug out bag” ready to go. He also had a pair of shoes under his bed and a flashlight in his nightstand drawer, just in case. Lessons I still practice to this day.

This last storm was a wake up call to be prepared. Be sure to download all the emergency alert apps including Nixle, PulsePoint and the National Weather Service.  Please call the Danville Police Dispatch for any non-emergency situations.  Keep in touch on Facebook and other social media platforms, including Danville Connect. Remember cellphones can also fail. If you and your family are separated or cannot return home, select a pre-designed meet up location. Any advanced  planning does not take long, but can make a big difference in protecting you and your loved ones.

It is a privilege to represent the residents of Danville. I always welcome the phone calls, text messages and outreach. We all need to know our voices are heard and that we can depend on someone in a time of need. We are all in this together.

We are all stronger together.

Reneé S. Morgan
Council Member/Mayor
Danville, California

Editors Note: Danville Councilmember Renee Morgan was invited to give her perspective in dealing with flooding in the Town of Danville after she posted several photographs around her home.