NVADG responds to the Chico ER article August 7 regarding the Board of Supervisors Agenda, Supes to Talk Budget, Roads.
Today’s article in the Enterprise Record (ER) utilized a county staff report that was inaccurate and misleading. The staff report was previously corrected by the NVADG Board, but the corrected document was not utilized when the latest Board of Supervisor Meeting Agenda was published. As a result, that same inaccurate and misleading information was picked up and published in the ER article today.
NVADG is not in a “dire financial situation.” Financially, we are healthy with sufficient resources to weather future disaster responses. Also, NVADG never “functioned beyond the bounds of county policy.” NVADG’s actions during the Camp Fire followed the Incident Command System that was in place. All of our work was directed by the fire management leadership team. Any monies that NVADG spent were on behalf of that same effort.
Following the Camp Fire, NVADG was directed by the county to submit receipts for fire expenses for FEMA reimbursement. We submitted those receipts as requested to county personnel on time. That fire documentation was subsequently misplaced by the county; NVADG did not miss any deadlines, nor make mistakes in submitting the information.
NVADG volunteers worked 77 days straight during the Camp Fire, sheltering over 4000 animals in emergency shelters, and feeding and watering another 6000 animals in the burn zone. We worked with many other mutual aid partners to accomplish that task, and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase feed, supplies, and equipment to get the job done. We submitted all of our receipts to the county as requested, and are asking to be reimbursed for that portion of costs for which the county was reimbursed by FEMA and PG&E. Any monies received in this request will be used to help animals in the next fire or disaster.