In April 2020, the City launched the San Rafael Small Business COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund to help small businesses struggling to maintain cash flow during these unprecedented times. Please visit the fund’s website for more information. In addition, in conjunction with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and the City, the San Rafael Business Improvement District (BID) spearheaded a weekly initiative to support … Continued
Will you need extra welfare checks, or a place to stay during power outages, heat waves, and so on? Discuss your plan with family or friends and neighbors who can assist you in your area of need. Will you need transportation assistance in an evacuation? Accessible public transportation may be in short supply. Can you … Continued
Yes, the City welcomes any opportunity to work with neighboring jurisdictions. Please refer to page 56 of the June 15th Staff Report on the City’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget for a full list of San Rafael’s shared services and partnerships with other government agencies.
Choose two meeting spots: If you have to get out of your home in the event of a house fire – the corner of the block or a neighbor’s porch all make good meeting spots. In this location you can gather and take a head count to make sure everyone got out safely. Make sure … Continued
Sheltering-in-place means staying where you are because it’s safer than going outside. When we go to the basement because of a storm warning or stay home because of a blizzard, we are sheltering-in-place. This is not a common safety action in San Rafael, but was more recently practiced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A communication plan is an important part of the emergency plan. You should include the following in your communication plan: Be in the know Now that you’ve decided how you’ll stay informed, make sure everyone in your emergency plan knows about these sources and how to use them. How you will stay in touch with loved ones Designate … Continued
All short-term rental units are required to post emergency procedures, information on signing up for emergency alerts, and fire safety information. Why? Short-term rentals represent a unique fire risk for a variety of reasons. Those using short-term rentals may be from out of the area and unfamiliar with wildfire risk and safety procedures. The information will … Continued
All new construction, home improvements impacting more than 25% of the structure, replacing roofing or windows, all community owned space (i.e. HOA shared land), etc. Vegetation management plan approval will be part of residential building resale (RBR) inspections or if the property is transferred to a new owner (inheritance, donated, etc.) or the zoning or … Continued
Designated parcels will be required to have more than one means and direction of egress in the event of a wildfire or other emergency. Fences over two (2) feet tall will be required to have two gates, accessing different cardinal directions installed. This will include new fences, replaced fences, and at property resale. Why? To … Continued
The city will develop a program to encourage the implementation of garage door battery backup systems. Why? Power failures, impacting the functionality of automatic garage doors, can make evacuation by car impossible during an emergency. Effective, July 1, 2019, Senate Bill 969 requires all new and replacement automatic garage doors to have a backup battery or … Continued
