Tag

Firestorm

Jun 30
0

A little more than 6 months later

By | Firestorm 2017, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry | No Comments

Rebuilding goes fast! When my dad first came to visit us in the United States and noticed homes being made of wood instead of brick, his first response was: If I would live here I would built my own house. In the Netherlands, all homes are made of brick and concrete, a much longer process. Remodeling is also a lot more complicated. 

I had to think of dad when seeing some of the homes that are rebuilt after the fires, already ready to move into! The Coffey park area has quite a few that are ready to move back in, as a matter of fact the first home owner moved in a few weeks ago. Dan Bradford was the first to move back into his rebuilt home in the Coffee Park area. Per June 22 there were 222 homes under construction in the Coffey area. In the Mark West area as well as in the Fountaingrove area, we are seeing the same happens. It shows the resilience and determination to rebuilt and restore our local community #sonomastrong

In the mean time we all have become more aware of fire hazards, planting more fire resistant vegetation around the house, and creating a fire barrier were possible. 

The local parks are an explosion of wild flowers, it’s an incredible time to go outdoors and see the rebirth of our parks, Sonoma County is a beautiful place to live. Check out the website of the regional parks to pick your favorite park. And while you visit the website, either join or donate, extra funds are needed to support the rebuilt of the trails.

It’s a great time to visit enjoy everything our beautiful area has to offer!

Mirjam

Mar 18
0

Rebuilding Sonoma County

By | Buyers, Firestorm 2017, Natural disasters, Sonoma County info, Visit WineCountry | No Comments

Trucks and trucks with debris are slowing the traffic down. And result are showing, after 4 months almost all lots are cleared and ready to rebuilt. It will be interesting to see how many people will rebuilt their homes and how many will sell the cleared parcel.

The fact that different volcanic geologic formations sit side means that many toxic substances – arsenic, mercury, thallium to name a few- are naturally occurring. Ancient volcanic soils in the rocky Fountaingrove area, known as tertiary volcanics, are different than those in the more recent but related sedimentary soils in the surrounding valleys, referred to as quaternary Pleistocene volcanic. A great place to learn more about the ancient and not so ancient history about or area is the petrified forest exhibit on Petrified Forest road. It’s currently closed because of the fires and is expected to open soon.

The county and Army Corps of engineers have been talking for weeks on revising standards. Our first initial response might be that this is not in our best interest, but they are working on standards that according to their findings closer to the average natural background levels in an area.

When buying a home, one of the mandatory reports a seller has to provide is the Natural Hazard report. This report is put together by a third party and touches on many of the natural hazards in an area, including the soils. This report is limited as to all the toxic substances in an area but gives great insight as to the area. It mentions naturally occurring asbestos. I suspect that we will see the effects of the wild fires reflected in future reports.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that very few buyers read this report from cover to cover. I highly recommend buyers take the time to read this report thoroughly and contact the company that provided the report with any questions.

Right now as realtor I am focused on this, however it’s spring time, the fires affected apr 2.5% of all the homes in Sonoma County, 97.5% of the homes were unaffected by the area. Sonoma County is a beautiful place to live!

Mirjam

Feb 15
1

Firestorms in Sonoma County!

By | Natural disasters, Sonoma County info | No Comments

The night from Sunday to Monday October 9 2017 as well as the weeks immediately after that won’t easily be forgotten. When I was living in the Netherlands, flooding was something a large part of the country had to deal with. After a major flooding in 1953, new laws came into place to protect the country.

Living in California, the main natural disaster we anticipated was an earth quake. Having to evacuate within 10 minutes because of imminent danger due to a firestorm most likely cause by a combination of faulty PG&E lines and a storm, was not something we ever imagined would happen.
IMG_0868It was a scary and memorable night. Our neighborhood was blocked off by the national guard for more than a week, it was not safe to go back.

The local newspaper has a section dedicated to this disaster. An other great article can be found here. Very soon after the disaster the city of Santa Rosa and the county of IMG_0777Sonoma came up with this website:  sonomacountyrecovers.org

The fires destroyed at least 5500 structures and  caused a major shift in our local Real Estate market. Our local market’s sales and inventory dropped while prices rose by double-digit percentage points.

Lots are being clearedFor many of us this was a rude awakening as to insurance coverage. Many learned that depending on the advise of their insurance agent as to cost to rebuilt might not be that smart.  My suggestion to all is: check your insurance policy and ask a local builder what it would cost to rebuilt your home. This will give you a more realistic number and this number should be used to make sure you have the proper insurance coverage in case of a major disaster.

Mirjam