Extreme heat and wildfire smoke, potentially lethal on their own, can act in concert to produce increased damage to people’s hearts and respiratory systems, according to researchers. ZIP codes in red were shown to have increased relative excess health risks due to interaction (RERI) of smoke and heat among residents. A new study led by […]
Update to Libraries Catalyze Communities in Times of Crisis
NorthNet Libraries’ contribution to the IMLS funded research project on disaster preparedness continues to benefit libraries across the country. Read the latest on the teams’ workshop from the LibLearnX conference session of January 2024 and the TOP SIX TIPS for Librarians. Links to the documents are below: LibLearnX January 2024 Handout LibLearnX24 Final
Disaster Clean Up Video EXPLODES with Viewers!
Old Foresthill Road near the Mammoth Bar area in Placer County, California was closed on January 18, 2024 due to a mud and rock slide. Click to view video of the rock slide. In order to open the road, a contractor hired by Placer County blasted large boulders that had fallen onto Old Foresthill Road […]
Libraries Catalyze Communities in Times of Crisis
This IMLS funded research project presented at the International Federation of Libraries conference in August of 2023 demonstrates how public libraries serve as community catalysts to facilitate the building of community capacity and resources for emergency response and recovery. Libraries from the NorthNet Library System participated in focus groups to share their experiences in […]
Supporting Children and Youth During and After a Wildfire
This research study was done in collaboration between Dr. Lindsey Nenadal and her team of undergraduate students at California State University, Chico and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the North Valley. In 2018, the Camp Fire swept through communities in Northern California, bringing massive destruction and devastation. During the fire and in the years […]
Living Under Smoky Skies
Living Under Smoky Skies (PDF) With much of the state seeing worsening air quality, risks increase for Californians, especially those more vulnerable due to pre-existing health conditions or communities who don’t have the necessary infrastructure or resources to endure smoky periods safely. David Eisenman, director of UCLA’s Center for Public Health and Disasters, research on […]
Four conversations to have before fire season
Amid the continuing drought, California communities are again facing the prospect of an early and intense fire season. While state and local leaders are investing unprecedented sums in wildfire mitigation efforts, libraries are also revisiting their disaster response plans. Before fire season intensifies, consider how the four conversations below can support your preparedness efforts. With staff and […]
Please Help Rebuild the Greenville Library
Recent images of the Dixie WildFire ravishing the small community of Greenville and the quaint, rural library in Plumas County, California this summer are heartbreaking. If you ever visited the Greenville Library you would see how friends, neighbors, and families used this library as a valued community space, each individual comfortable here as one would […]