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On October 24, 2019, the day after the fire began in Northern California, Sonoma County experienced one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in its history, which caused the destruction of almost 78,000 acres and 330 structures, with at least 5 homes perishing in the fire.
In 2015, another toxic and hazardous waste massive fire destroyed a huge section of the Bay Area, and people were evacuated and thanked, also having expert-trained professional personnel clean the area for months.
While it’s easy to see the cleanup and rebuilding this creates, the main problem is that thousands will want to go back and re-clean and rebuild. Unfortunately, the employers will not be able to hire the cleaning personnel, which is a bummer.
The government will be working with both federal and state authorities to set up planning for the post-fire clean-up operation in the hardest-hit areas of Sonoma County. In the meantime, tens of thousands of evacuees are returning home to the intact houses, but many of the houses have smoke damage and have ash on it.
The Law Enforcement Association (LEA) in Sonoma has this to say to those who are dealing with these issues:
The creosote-like exhaust might irritate the nose, skin, and throat, and may also cause bleeding from nose or coughing. Fine particles can be inhaled and can affect the lungs deeply making asthma harder to overcome harder to breathe. Therefore, it is necessary to take the right steps for hazardous waste disposal.
- Do not clean up firearm debris until such a time as professional hazardous material removal services are secured. Call for professional services for on-site cleanup and restoration.
- Please avoid exposure to dust or ash. When this cannot be avoided, please use an N-95 air purifier fitted respirator mask.
Children should not be there nearby while any type of cleanup is being in progress. Even though proper care is exercised, it is stress-free to stirring up ash that has the potential to include harmful substances.
- Clean ash off any animal, especially a house pet, if they have been in contact with contaminated areas.
- It is best to not allow pets and other animals into these areas due to the potential health risks to other animals and the potential for the spread of disease outside of the contaminated area.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves and long pants so that you can prevent any contact of your skin—preferably everyone should wear a face mask. Head protection is recommended. When you put hot ash on your skin, you can get physical burns or itching. Once you have left the first decontamination site, change your clothes and shoes to avoid tracking the ash into any of your other areas.
While some homes suffered water damage from firefighting efforts and some property damage, most homes in the impacted areas, mainly the ones that are still standing, had smoke damage.
The ones that were evacuated from the homes that were affected by the wildfire smoke should have their belongings properly inspected, tested, cleaned, treated, and restored to pre-exposure condition. Occurring damage of houses, as well as personal belongings that were damaged by smoke and ash should be covered under the homeowners’ insurance policy and homeowners should contact his or her insurance company before beginning to clean up and file a claim to learn more about how to successfully claim for a disease.Do not delay calling Envirodispose in OKC for hazardous waste disposal and make a safe move to keep everyone protected. Contact us to book your slot now.
