Julie Atwood is ready for the next disaster. Are you?

Glen Ellen rancher, event planner, animal safety advocate, and self-described “disaster lady” – the Sun’s Anna Pier catches up with the whirlwind that is Julie Atwood.

You are “the disaster lady.”  Yes, I’m the downer. But I am so convinced of the importance of preparedness, I keep on pushing it.

Your ranch is bordered by Nuns Canyon Road, so of course you were affected by the 2017 fire. Yes, but I was prepared. Since 2013. I was educated, I had done trainings, I had a plan, and I had safety resources ready. By the way, you need to have a Plan A, and a Plan B and a Plan C. We did, and we ended up deploying all three. And I have two good friends, one who lived in Trinity Oaks and the other in Jack London Estates. Both of them were prepared for everything their pets needed, but left without their own important personal articles. Now they tell me they put underwear and extra glasses in their pet-ready kit!

How did you start doing emergency planning events? Well, I used my skill and business reputation from my day job as an event/hospitality planner to show that emergency planning can be fun. And my interest in animals to bring that aspect to emergency planning. My first goal since 2013 has been to train first responders on the rescue of animals. I had my first event, a Ranch Readiness Day, in May 2014, inviting first responders, including CalFire. I expected 75, and 150 came. 

The HALTER Project has been nationally recognized. Yes, in 2016 it received two FEMA awards. One was for “inspiring the broad community in awareness to action” and the other in “individual preparedness.” It was the first time one organization ever got two awards. We went to Washington to accept them. I was invited to be a panelist, and FEMA officials were actually asking me questions.  

You’re the prophet unrecognized in her own county. A little But with the success of my animal emergency preparedness, fire safety officials encouraged me to start creating community awareness events. So I stepped into the breach. I’ve expanded to present not just pet-ready, but people-ready kits.  

What are some of the most rewarding aspects? To be part of a team that is facilitating safe care and reunification of animals with their owners during a disaster. I am on five animal disaster response teams. I like being part of a team, taking orders, being part of a cohesive unit. It’s empowering to know you can be the leader, be in charge; but it’s great to be part of a chain of command, taking orders and working together. Another “best” moment for me is when someone at an outreach and education event says, ‘This material is great, this is exactly what I need.’

What are some future projects you’re thinking about?  I’d like to have a speakers series on Search and Rescue.  And I am very concerned about hotels, tourist venues, and event centers during an emergency. How is the hospitality community planning and preparing? 

You spent last weekend at a statewide Search and Rescue Exercise conference. Yes, three intensive days with people from so many agencies – National Guard, Coast Guard, National Park rangers, among others –  and lots of volunteers. In California, every county’s Search and Rescue team is all-volunteer. It was very interesting, very empowering, and I felt honored and humbled to be teaching in the presence of the professionals and highly-trained volunteers who do this work. It was high energy, and I came away with lots of knowledge to use for disaster planning teams. 

You were part of an S&R team that went in right after the Camp Fire in November 2018, right? Yes, I went up with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group. It was extremely rewarding. We worked with Butte County teams.

I know you are an advocate for small family farms. Early on, I was part of Slow Food on the Russian River, and I was part of CAFF – California Alliance for Family Farms. Bee-Well Farm adjoins our ranch, and Missy and Austin Lely actually live on the ranch now. I grew up in a rural, agricultural environment, in the Valley near Fresno. I picked strawberries and worked in packing houses for wonderful Japanese farmers, small farmers. My family was in the produce business.

Your passion for emergency preparedness seems all-consuming.  Almost. But there is one other area that is near and dear to my heart, that I will not give up. That’s the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Foundation. I’ve been on the board for 14 years, and for the past seven, on the Scholarship Committee. This year we gave scholarships to 52 students, ranging from entry-level community colleges to PhD candidates.  All of these students have been at one time wards of the County, under Child Protective Services, i.e., “foster children.” And we don’t stop when we give them the check. We keep in touch, and continue to help out. We are committed to helping them be successful in life. 

Anything you want to tell our readers? You need trusted messenger resources. And everyone should sign up for multiple alerts. Sign up on different platforms: Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services (OES), Sonoma County Sheriff, Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue, NIXLE, PG&E, National Weather Service.  You can follow the NWS on Twitter. And you can get apps for a lot of these – NOAA, CalFire, SF Chronicle; and on an iPhone, there are built-in emergency apps.  And connect with your neighbors. Use What’s App for a neighborhood communication plan, and for your family too. There is no one “best” messenger to trust. And there is no one “best plan.” Don’t have just one plan. Have a plan and think of what could go wrong with it. A little stress now.  It’s like getting a flu shot. It will save lots of stress later, when there’s an emergency.