Interim CAO Message: Marking a Milestone in Flood Recovery

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A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:

Wednesday marked 100 days since the County activated its Emergency Operations Center in response to the Jan. 22 storm. I am so grateful for our County team and your dedication and hard work to support those impacted by the flooding. The effort is led by the Office of Emergency Services at the Emergency Operations Center where dozens of you have been working, and hundreds more are providing support in the field. Most of you are reassigned from your regular duties, knowing that other team members are there to provide back up to continue our day-to-day operations.

I can’t begin to measure the impact of your efforts, but here are some figures to highlight your amazing work:

  • More than 300 team members were temporarily reassigned from daily jobs to support residents in all impacted jurisdictions.

  • Additionally, nearly 80 employees from 26 County departments have been temporarily reassigned to the County Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the regional response and recovery.  

  • The County sheltered 896 households representing 2,600 people at 68 hotels at the operational peak of the program.

  • Team members attended 39 community meetings.

  • Staff responded to 2,000 phone calls providing information and assistance to those in the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program.

  • Staff informed the community about the storm recovery through 44 articles, 35 informational flyers and 430 social media posts.

  • Thanks to your generosity, the County Employees’ Charitable Organization (CECO) distributed $36,000 worth of grants to 74 members of our team who were impacted by the January storms.

  • As of April 23, the County allocated $19.6 million in aid to the community.

The support for those in our communities impacted by the flood will continue – the Board of Supervisors recently extended the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program through June 21.

Know that your dedication is appreciated, whether you are directly supporting flood recovery or you are keeping the rest of the County’s operations running while so many are reassigned. Your commitment to public service is unmatched, and I thank you.