District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez — District 2 Newsletter 3rd Edition

3rd Edition

Photo of Supervisor Vasquez, Mayor Deasy, Coral Evans and community members at the community meeting held on Saturday, July, 17 at the mobile home park on Dortha.

• Message from Sup. Vasquez
• Museum Fire Flood Area Update
• COVID Update
• Redistricting Public Comments
• And more!

Greetings Everyone,

Community has been heavily on my mind as we enter the summer months. Monsoon season is here and with the rise of the COVID delta variant I am very concerned for our community. I am also proud of our community during this trying time. July has been full of team efforts from residents, County and City staff and volunteers. Thank you to everyone that assisted with flood mitigation preparation months prior to the flooding as we could have seen more devastating impacts to the community if we had not kept the conversation relevant. I am also very grateful to community members during the flooding that contacted me directly, called the District 2 Office or talked with me while I was out in the neighborhoods. In conjunction to the Museum burn scar area, our community was hit by a 200 year monsoon event. We have been through a lot in a short time and although it is relieving to have dryer weather, it is still a critical time for us to stay vigilant for flooding. This time allows us to refresh any sandbags that might have been swept away or to call for a site assessment.

In addition, we need to stay vigilant with the rise in COVID numbers due to the delta variant. This strain brings complex challenges as it is much more contagious, especially to folks that are not vaccinated. I am worried about individuals that are most vulnerable such as children under 12, people with medical conditions that prohibit vaccination and again the unvaccinated. The best way to protect yourself and others is to continue to vaccinate. I see this new wave of COVID as being more devastating than anything we have seen yet. I know there are fears and hesitations towards getting the vaccine, but to have that ease of mind and to know I am protecting others is worth more than a sore arm. Or worse, being in the hospital alone or seeing any of my family and friends in that vulnerable position. The vaccine is free, does not require documentation and takes less time than a new episode of your favorite show. We are very fortunate in Coconino County to have a proactive Health and Human Services (HHS) department that continues to hold vaccination clinics every Wednesday from 10 am – 1 pm, at the 2625 N. King Street HHS , parking lot, no appointment needed. If you have doubts about getting vaccinated I will gladly talk you through my journey with the vaccine. I am vaccinated and I can say it is a relief to know that my chances of getting ill from COVID are very low and to know that I am putting others before myself. Feel free to message me directly or reach out to my office whenever you need. You can reach District 2 at 928-679-7162 or email me at jvasquez@coconino.az.gov or contact my District Director, Areina Contreras at acontreras@coconino.az.gov.

We are both here to serve you!

Call Center Information:

The Museum Flood Area Call Center will be operational daily. The number is 928-679-8525. To date, we have taken 484 total calls since the beginning of the flooding. The call center is a place to report any damages, request a site assessment, request sandbags or to give general information about what you are experiencing when your area is flooding.

Request a site assessment by contacting the Call Center at 928-679-8525 if you are experiencing one or more of the following:

• Floodwater has overtopped your sandbags or other mitigation measures
• The flow of floodwater was not mitigated by your current sandbag walls
• Mitigation employed by adjacent property owners is impacting your home

Weather Forecast:

Be aware of the weather forecast as a way to outlook activity in your area. For up-to-date, local weather, visit https:// www.weather.gov/fgz/ For the latest Museum Fire scar weather conditions and NWS notifications please visit https:// www.weather.gov/fgz/MuseumFireFloodRisk

Sandbag Information:

Approximately 650,000 to 700,000 sandbags have been placed since the Museum Fire (2019). Pre-filled and self-fill sandbags continue to be available to both the stations (South parking lot of Coconino High School at 2801 N Izabel and Coconino County Health and Human Services at 2625 King Street). During flood events, residents should shelter in place and have a Stay Kit ready.

Debris Information:

If you have debris on your property, then you should move the debris to the street if you are able — only when the water has stopped flowing. Putting Debris in the streets will help County and City Public Works crews remove the debris with their heavy equipment. If you live on one of the streets that has debris as a result of the flood, please do not park your car on the streets.

Local services list: This is a list of local organizations with details about their offerings for assistance. Please look over for yourself or to refer to people you may know that need help during this unpredictable monsoon season. https://www.coconino.az.gov/ DocumentCenter/View/35228/COVID-19-Social-Safety-Net- Services-Coalition-Resource-Guide-V9_

Clean Up of Interior Flooding: Here you can find tips and areas to check post flooding. https://www.coconino.az.gov/2437/After- a-Flood-Event

Stay In Touch: Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff are providing updates on our websites and social media: coconino.az.gov, twitter.com/coconinocounty, and facebook.com/coconinocounty | flagstaff.az.gov, facebook.com/ CityofFlagstaff

If you would like to like to receive email updates regarding this monsoon season’s preparedness and mitigation efforts, then please email us at museumfloodinfo@coconino.az.gov with “Add me to the Museum Flood Info Email List” in the subject line.

Thank you to United Way for the partnership to create community sandbag days. I am very proud of the our neighbors helping neighbors effort to help our residents in the Museum Flood area. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers that gave their time to help the community!

Still, we are not our of Monsoon season yet. United Way of Northern Arizona is planning additional Neighbor Helping Neighbor Events to support flood mitigation efforts. We need more volunteers to make sandbags, place sandbags at residences, and assist with clean up. Please sign up at https:// uwna.volunteerhub.com/ or call 928-773-9813.

Items to remember before signing up:

• Heavy machinery is nearby so these volunteer opportunities are only open to adults 18 and older.
• This is heavy and somewhat dirty work and you need to be able to lift a 40-pound sandbag.
• Closed-toe shoes are required.
• Please bring work gloves if you have them (and if it’s actually sunny, a hat and sunscreen are recommended).

Obtaining additional federal funding is a complicated process. Thanks to the work of County staff, with the assistance of Congressman Tom O’Halleran and Senator Kelly along with my fellow board member Sup. Patrice Horstman the county was able to secure flood mitigation and exigency funding for the eroded channels in Mt. Elden Estates. Obstructions and overflowing channels in this area cause heavy flows in the other Museum Flood Area neighborhoods.

Seeing this continuation of the eroding channels, county staff reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and requested exigency financial assistance through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) to stabilize the channels, maintain channel and flood damage capacity in the Mt. Elden Estates area. Through long hours and hard work, the USDA approved the NRCS exigency funding for Coconino County in eight days. This is a historic time frame for approval of funds that came with a specific time frame of work in the channel to be completed within ten days of receiving funds. On July 30th, the Board of Supervisors held a special meeting where they accepted the $454,500 in exigency funding from the NRCS and authorized the needed $152,000 match of the FCD funds for the NRCS funds. Immediately upon receiving notification of the funding, the County proceeded with the emergency channel work building rock weirs to stabilize the channels and undertook other emergency mitigations for the remainder of this monsoon season.

These funds will help with flood mitigation for the burn scar communities, including Paradise, Grandview, Linda Vista, and Sunnyside. The extra funding increases the work up stream which will benefit the communities further along the Museum flood area. Since District 2 is within the flood area, this is a huge success as the more we can mitigate closer to the forest, the better off the Sunnyside and other areas will be when we get more water than we have seen.

Post-wildfire flooding in the Museum Flood Area will be here to stay and we need permanent mitigation solutions to help with the impacts to the entire Museum Flood area. This funding is not the final effort to mitigate the impacts of the Museum Flood Area. The FCD will continue to research federal funding for long- term mitigation measures. As your local representative I am at the ready to advocate for our community for federal funding as it becomes available.

On July 27th, the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance for fully vaccinated people, recommending everyone wear a mask in indoor public settings in geographic areas with substantial and high transmission, regardless of vaccination status. Coconino County COVID-19 case numbers have followed an upward trajectory over the past several weeks and the county is currently in “high” COVID-19 transmission. In line with this recommendation, Coconino County will reinstate mask requirements in all county buildings effective Wednesday, August 4, at 8 a.m.

In alignment with the CDC guidance, the County is requiring face masks be worn by employees and the public while in county buildings to protect customer and employee health and safety.

• Effective Wednesday, August 4, county employees and visitors shall wear masks in public and common areas of all county buildings. Masks will be provided when needed as supplies allow.
• County employees shall practice COVID-19 prevention practices including proper hand washing and physical distancing.

The Coconino County Weekly COVID-19 Report is available at https://www.coconino.az.gov/2598/Vaccine-Data-Dashboard, COVID-19 testing information is available at https:// www.coconino.az.gov/2338/Testing-Information, and COVID-19 vaccination locations are available at https:// www.coconino.az.gov/2580/COVID-19-Vaccination-Locations.

Over the next few months, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) will be making decisions about Arizonans’ future voting districts. Voting districts determine what district a resident will vote in for representation in the United States Congress and the Arizona State Legislature. The Commission wants to hear from you!

I was able to attend virtually to the Public Hearing on July 27 at the High Country Conference Center. I want to send a big thank you to a few community members that gave comments in person. Way to go JB Dewitt, Richard Duran and Rob Wilson for giving input from District 2. Having local people present sends a message to the IRC that people in our community care and are willing to show up. Although, the time for in person comments has passed this is an important issue as it effects our communities and only happens every 10 years. The IRC is still public comments virtually, so please consider submitting a comment and letting your input be accounted for during this process. Below is the link for the Redistricting Survey.

IRC Listening Tour Survey (arcgis.com)

Supervisor Vasquez attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual conference in Maryland this July. NACo is an organization committed to uniting county officials. Through this unity the NACo members advocate for county priorities, promote policies and enhance county resources. At the conference Sup. Vasquez networked with many other new county officials from all areas of the US. he also attended committee meetings, workshops and witnessed the voting process of the second Vice president of NACo. He also attended the highlight of this year’s annual conference, Vice President Kamala Harris’s address to NACo Conference. To view the Vice President’s comments, watch the video below.

Sign up for notifications at Emergency Notification System | Coconino (az.gov)

When emergencies happen, be the first to know. The Coconino County Emergency Notification System uses Alerts powered by Rave Mobile Safety’s Smart911 to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions you may need to take to keep you and your family safe.

Emergency alerts are sent 24/7 when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. These include natural hazards (wildfire, flooding, etc.) and man-made hazards (violent crimes in progress, major accidents, missing persons, etc.). In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications.

Your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information that you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergency purposes only.

Please email emergencymanagement@coconino.az.gov with any questions or concerns.

To apply to CCC click here.

To apply for the NACA Scholarship 2021 click here.