UDRNC

News

Sep 12

United Disaster Relief of Northern California calls for help to move into its forever home

This is the third installment of an exciting new series of podcasts and companion articles we are collaborating on with journalist Sarah Reith. You can listen to her podcast by hitting the play button below, or read the abbreviated version of the story below.

United Disaster Relief of Northern California is making what it hopes will be its final move, to a new location with its largest warehouse yet.

In addition to taking action to reduce your risk and having plans before a fire starts, part of being prepared to survive and thrive is knowing that your community also has plans and can help if there is a disaster. When large-scale disasters happen, government agencies will provide some aid. But smaller-scale disasters like the Grange fire or the Hopkins and Broiler fires can still result in community members losing their homes and all of their possessions. In those instances, it’s mostly up to us locally to have plans and the capacity to provide the help that people need to get back on their feet.

That’s why UDRNC is essential to our overall wildfire disaster readiness network. And now, they need our help to get back on their feet — or at least to have a new, long term home of their own. The lease at their current location on Airport Park Boulevard in Ukiah is up at the end of November. Escrow closed at their new location in August, but the building, a former Coca-Cola bottling facility at 650 Babcock Lane in Ukiah, does require a number of improvements.

An anonymous benefactor has offered to match up to $100,000 in community donations at the Building Hope campaign on Givebutter. The Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op is raising money through its November Change at the Register fundraiser.

Executive Director Danilla Sands recently reflected on the multifaceted mission of an organization that’s become a mainstay for anyone who’s been knocked down by disaster in the past few years.

Like any trauma, wildfire, she noted, is “overwhelming…What’s the priority? Where are the deadlines for grants? What resources are available to you? Meanwhile, you have your whole life to continue doing. You still might have to show up to work, you still have to take your kids to school. Now you’ve got to look at permits and soil testing and modulars…So we help them focus in the direction of recovery.” Sands says UDRNC is rare in that it continues to provide support for survivors throughout their recovery, which can take years. She pointed out that the effects of the Hopkins fire, which took place on September 12 of 2021, are far from over. The man who set the fire was just convicted on August first. And Sands observed that rebuilding has not been quick, even for people with “really good insurance…the only stick builds out there in the Hopkins fire started just in the last month. Three years later.” United Disaster Relief is still involved with Hopkins fire survivors, including a three-year commemoration celebration on September 12.

The organization was originally located in a storefront in the wake of the Redwood Complex fire of 2017. It’s moved four times since its inception, and serves survivors throughout the region on a long-term as well as an immediate basis. Sands expects the upcoming move to be disruptive, but she doesn’t plan to give up on helping disaster survivors during the transition. The site on Airport Park Boulevard will be closed for the month of November, so volunteers can focus on moving inventory to Babcock Lane. “We’re going to be in here December first,” Sands declared. “But we don’t know what that looks like…If there’s a disaster, we’ll make it work. You know, people made it work with a table in front of a business back in 2017, right?”

Part of the 11,000 square foot warehouse will be walled off for client services, including an ADA bathroom, laundry, and food distribution. Insulation is a priority, as are heating and AC, electrical upgrades, and reconfiguring the reception area. In addition to serious storage space, the former plant has an adjustable loading dock, two acres of land, and a lot of potential, according to Sands. She led us around the premises on a hot September afternoon, just a few days before volunteers sprang into action to help evacuees fleeing the Boyles fire in Lake County.

While UDRNC made a robust attempt to buy the site on Airport Park Boulevard, Sands sees significant opportunities to expand the organization’s offerings at the new location. “There are some good possibilities,” she enthused, pointing out the three giant rollup doors and the broad expanse of fenced-in parking lot. “Maybe someday we’ll have a community garden or a gazebo out here,” where other organizations can hold events or where emergency vehicles can be staged for disaster response.

Even after the renovation, the warehouse will be vast compared to the 900 square feet UDRNC has now. Sands envisions displaying donated furniture the way it could look in clients’ future homes, instead of stuffing it all into a corner or storing it outside where it’s susceptible to damage by weather or vandalism. The adjustable dock means donations can come in on a semi, a box truck, or a pickup truck and be unloaded easily. There’s also an overhang, so the people doing the work are protected from the sun or the rain.

There are plenty of opportunities to help out with the effort to open the new site. Besides giving to the fundraisers, volunteers are welcome to put in some sweat equity at a work party on September 21. The fundraiser at Givebutter has reached 20% of its goal, which will help with safety modifications and code requirements that are necessary before UDRNC can open its doors to the public.

Sands also reported that a work party on August 24 was a resounding success, with about ten volunteers coming in to do some deep cleaning and prep for more skilled labor. “So on September 21st, we’re doing that again,” she declared; “because this is going to benefit the community. This is not just benefiting one person or one organization. This is a disaster resource center to benefit us all for the long term. And if we invest in it, imagine the possibility.”

You can find more information at the website, udrnc.org, where you can check out the photo gallery, donate to United Disaster Relief of Northern California, or sign up to volunteer.

And one more thing: “We’re not going to once again invest our time and our money, our energy and our love, and then have to move again,” Sands promised.