WawonaNews.com - February 2020
Forecasters: Low Sierra Snow Pack Could Mean Early Start to Fire Season
Posted by: SNO Staff February 22, 2020
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — NASA satellite images taken this past week from more than 400 miles above Earth show snow pack levels in the Sierras at just 54 percent of their historical average for this time of the year.
The most recent data is sparking concerns that parts of California are slipping back into a drought — and that the 2020 fire season could begin much sooner.
“Forested areas, especially those with a lot of dead trees, will dry out much sooner without as much snow pack or runoff when the warmer weather comes,” warned one fire official. “We could be looking at a very active 2020 fire season in the Sierra.”
The recent NASA photos provide a clear indication of how much less snow has fallen over the Sierras this winter compared to last. At this time in 2019, the Sierra snow pack was at 147 percent of its historical average, according to the National Weather Service.
The satellite images captured last week show the northern Sierra is currently at 58 percent of its historical average while central Sierra snow pack levels, which include Madera and Mariposa counties, is at 54 percent of the historical average and the southern Sierra currently sits at just 49 percent of average.
With six weeks still remaining in California’s traditional winter season, forecasters say any new storms, especially heavy ones, could boost the snow pack totals closer to annual averages.
But as of this week, forecasts are calling for the dry weather to continue through the end of February across much of the state.
“What a difference a year makes!” forecasters at the National Weather Service in Sacramento said on Twitter while posting the most recent satellite images.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, less than half of normal precipitation has fallen from central and southern Nevada westward across most of California since mid-December. Last week, just under 10 percent of the state, including the central and southern Sierras and adjacent areas of the Central Valley, was designated as being back in “moderate” drought conditions.
After a wet December, many parts of the Sierra are seeing their driest combined January and February on record, forecasters say.
The California Department of Water Resources took its most recent Sierra snow pack measurements on Feb. 20. The next snow pack measurement date is scheduled for April 1.
Posted by: SNO Staff February 22, 2020
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — NASA satellite images taken this past week from more than 400 miles above Earth show snow pack levels in the Sierras at just 54 percent of their historical average for this time of the year.
The most recent data is sparking concerns that parts of California are slipping back into a drought — and that the 2020 fire season could begin much sooner.
“Forested areas, especially those with a lot of dead trees, will dry out much sooner without as much snow pack or runoff when the warmer weather comes,” warned one fire official. “We could be looking at a very active 2020 fire season in the Sierra.”
The recent NASA photos provide a clear indication of how much less snow has fallen over the Sierras this winter compared to last. At this time in 2019, the Sierra snow pack was at 147 percent of its historical average, according to the National Weather Service.
The satellite images captured last week show the northern Sierra is currently at 58 percent of its historical average while central Sierra snow pack levels, which include Madera and Mariposa counties, is at 54 percent of the historical average and the southern Sierra currently sits at just 49 percent of average.
With six weeks still remaining in California’s traditional winter season, forecasters say any new storms, especially heavy ones, could boost the snow pack totals closer to annual averages.
But as of this week, forecasts are calling for the dry weather to continue through the end of February across much of the state.
“What a difference a year makes!” forecasters at the National Weather Service in Sacramento said on Twitter while posting the most recent satellite images.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, less than half of normal precipitation has fallen from central and southern Nevada westward across most of California since mid-December. Last week, just under 10 percent of the state, including the central and southern Sierras and adjacent areas of the Central Valley, was designated as being back in “moderate” drought conditions.
After a wet December, many parts of the Sierra are seeing their driest combined January and February on record, forecasters say.
The California Department of Water Resources took its most recent Sierra snow pack measurements on Feb. 20. The next snow pack measurement date is scheduled for April 1.
History Abounds at Famous Camp in The Heart of Wawona
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Manager Margina Jones and third generation owner Garth May are shown at Camp Chilnualna Cabins in 2020.
February 20, 2020
By KELLIE FLANAGAN
Gazette correspondent
Eighteen miles east of Mariposa as the crow flies, inside Yosemite National Park, is the town of Wawona: once a busy stage stop en route to the valley floor and beyond. Famously known as home to one of the oldest mountain resorts in California, the settlement’s existence precedes the founding of the national recreation area surrounding it, a designation that created a cushion of Yosemite on which shines the jewel of Wawona.
“Growing up here was amazing and wonderful,” according to Garth May, the third generation of his family to live in Wawona as owners of Camp Chilnualna Cabins, originally established by Albert Spelt in 1920 and now celebrating its 100th year in vacation rentals and recreation.
Today, Camp Chilnualna consists of six charmingly rustic cabins on about four-and-a-half acres of stunning land near the south fork of the Merced River, plus the May family home. Nearby are the Pine Tree Market, an elementary school, a library, some research stations and about 400 homes, mostly cabins and cottages. The majority of those are vacation homes and rentals; Wawona has about 160 full-time residents, but with millions of people coming to Yosemite every year, the number of visitors is infinitely higher — and for good reason.
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Manager Margina Jones and third generation owner Garth May are shown at Camp Chilnualna Cabins in 2020.
February 20, 2020
By KELLIE FLANAGAN
Gazette correspondent
Eighteen miles east of Mariposa as the crow flies, inside Yosemite National Park, is the town of Wawona: once a busy stage stop en route to the valley floor and beyond. Famously known as home to one of the oldest mountain resorts in California, the settlement’s existence precedes the founding of the national recreation area surrounding it, a designation that created a cushion of Yosemite on which shines the jewel of Wawona.
“Growing up here was amazing and wonderful,” according to Garth May, the third generation of his family to live in Wawona as owners of Camp Chilnualna Cabins, originally established by Albert Spelt in 1920 and now celebrating its 100th year in vacation rentals and recreation.
Today, Camp Chilnualna consists of six charmingly rustic cabins on about four-and-a-half acres of stunning land near the south fork of the Merced River, plus the May family home. Nearby are the Pine Tree Market, an elementary school, a library, some research stations and about 400 homes, mostly cabins and cottages. The majority of those are vacation homes and rentals; Wawona has about 160 full-time residents, but with millions of people coming to Yosemite every year, the number of visitors is infinitely higher — and for good reason.
“Wawona is just perfect in so many ways,” Garth continued, expressing his love for the little neighborhood tucked inside the park at an elevation of 4,000 feet. “It’s the perfect weather, we just get four nice seasons and I never get tired of this place.”
Named for nearby falls tumbling dramatically hundreds of feet over granite, Chinualna (chill-new-all-na) is said to mean “echos of the waters,” in the first people’s language.
The long haul
The May family has been at the helm here since the mid-30s when then-owner Cornelia McBeth Wooster sold the property —including the Camp Chinualna cottages — to Garth May’s grandfather Harold May, when Garth’s dad Norman was just a kid.
Norman attended the one-room elementary school in Wawona from the time it first opened, book-ended by Garth and his older sister, Terry, who went to class there until the original school closed for a time in the 1970s. Coming of age in Wawona meant living under towering trees, summers spent jumping endlessly into the river and keeping the occasional orphaned deer as a treasured family “pet.”
Much has been written about the pioneering families of early Wawona and the history of each is fascinating to learn. The May family’s presence in the area dates back almost 90 years to when Garth’s grandpa Harold May first helped build the road on which millions of people now enter Yosemite National Park every year.
Harold and Edna May purchased Camp Chilnualna
for $6,500 during the Great Depression.
Photo courtesy of Garth May
Named for nearby falls tumbling dramatically hundreds of feet over granite, Chinualna (chill-new-all-na) is said to mean “echos of the waters,” in the first people’s language.
The long haul
The May family has been at the helm here since the mid-30s when then-owner Cornelia McBeth Wooster sold the property —including the Camp Chinualna cottages — to Garth May’s grandfather Harold May, when Garth’s dad Norman was just a kid.
Norman attended the one-room elementary school in Wawona from the time it first opened, book-ended by Garth and his older sister, Terry, who went to class there until the original school closed for a time in the 1970s. Coming of age in Wawona meant living under towering trees, summers spent jumping endlessly into the river and keeping the occasional orphaned deer as a treasured family “pet.”
Much has been written about the pioneering families of early Wawona and the history of each is fascinating to learn. The May family’s presence in the area dates back almost 90 years to when Garth’s grandpa Harold May first helped build the road on which millions of people now enter Yosemite National Park every year.
Harold and Edna May purchased Camp Chilnualna
for $6,500 during the Great Depression.
Photo courtesy of Garth May
“In 1933 a company called Granite Construction was building Highway 41 from Yosemite all the way down to the coast, and my grandfather was on that crew building the highway,” Garth said.
Born in 1900, by the 1930s his grandfather Harold May was a rock-crusher on the crew, moving around to different towns with his wife, Edna, as the new road carried them. Born and raised in the rough mining camps of Montana, Edna was well suited to an adventurous life with Harold and, even while living at the coast, they never forgot the time they spent in Wawona.
Pat May is shown with mule deer buck Bambi, whom they fostered after he was abandoned at Camp Chilnualna. Photo courtesy of Garth May
Garth May and slightly older sister Terri pose with catch and release reptiles at Camp Chilnualna when they were kids. Photo courtesy of Garth May
So, when it came time to settle with their son and daughter, the Mays “did what folks did back then,” said Garth, and “just jumped in the car with everything and came up here.”
They paid $6,500 to purchase Camp Chilnualna — which included a small store at the time — right in the middle of the Great Depression.“Times were hard in those days,” wrote Garth’s father Norman May much later in life, looking back on his childhood in an unpublished memoir. “The depression was at its peak and sometimes [my] parents wondered if they had done the right thing by purchasing Camp Chilnualna, but they loved the place and they struggled on.”
So, when it came time to settle with their son and daughter, the Mays “did what folks did back then,” said Garth, and “just jumped in the car with everything and came up here.”
They paid $6,500 to purchase Camp Chilnualna — which included a small store at the time — right in the middle of the Great Depression.“Times were hard in those days,” wrote Garth’s father Norman May much later in life, looking back on his childhood in an unpublished memoir. “The depression was at its peak and sometimes [my] parents wondered if they had done the right thing by purchasing Camp Chilnualna, but they loved the place and they struggled on.”
Pat and Norman May married at Sentinel Dome in Yosemite about a year after Edna died in 1960 and Pat pitched in to help at the camp. Photo courtesy of Garth May
To make matters worse, he chronicled, “the heaviest and coldest winter in the memory of the white man arrived during the winter of 1936-37. The official measurement of snowfall was 16 feet of snow in six weeks, settling to a hard pack of six feet of ‘Sierra cement.’ The temperature dropped to -28 degrees at Camp Chilnualna.”
To war and back
By that time, Harold had gone to work for the park and was plowing snow without a break for 52-cents an hour. That freezing winter was followed by the Great Flood of 1937-38, which came over Christmas and New Year when Norman was a young teen.
By the 1940s the Great Depression had run its course, but World War II was calling men across the United States to battle, including Norman May.
“At 17 he threatened to run away from home if his mom and dad didn’t sign his permission to join the Marines and fight in World War II,” Garth recounted of his dad’s determination to enlist.
To make matters worse, he chronicled, “the heaviest and coldest winter in the memory of the white man arrived during the winter of 1936-37. The official measurement of snowfall was 16 feet of snow in six weeks, settling to a hard pack of six feet of ‘Sierra cement.’ The temperature dropped to -28 degrees at Camp Chilnualna.”
To war and back
By that time, Harold had gone to work for the park and was plowing snow without a break for 52-cents an hour. That freezing winter was followed by the Great Flood of 1937-38, which came over Christmas and New Year when Norman was a young teen.
By the 1940s the Great Depression had run its course, but World War II was calling men across the United States to battle, including Norman May.
“At 17 he threatened to run away from home if his mom and dad didn’t sign his permission to join the Marines and fight in World War II,” Garth recounted of his dad’s determination to enlist.
Norman and Pat May are shown playing on the frozen river at Camp Chilnualna sometime before their kids were born — Photo courtesy of Garth May
Norman continued in his recollection. “In 1942 I took a ‘leave of absence’ from Camp Chilnualna. I had just graduated from high school and I joined the Marines. I will never forget the first words of our D.I. (drill instructor) in boot camp, ‘You guys are hired killers and I am here to show you how to do it!’”
After six “hasty” weeks of boot camp, the Marines were immediately sent to the Island of Midway to be on what Norm called the “reception committee for the expanding Japanese Empire.”
“I was gone for three years before returning to Camp Chilnualna, 20 months of which was spent in the South Pacific,” Norm wrote.
Garth says his dad came home from the war and never left again.
“In 1949 Camp Chilnualna expanded even more,” penned Norm. “We built a restaurant and called it ‘Chilnualna Lodge Café.’ They leased out land where others built a theatre, service station and garage, and the area was turning into the heart of Wawona.
Norman continued in his recollection. “In 1942 I took a ‘leave of absence’ from Camp Chilnualna. I had just graduated from high school and I joined the Marines. I will never forget the first words of our D.I. (drill instructor) in boot camp, ‘You guys are hired killers and I am here to show you how to do it!’”
After six “hasty” weeks of boot camp, the Marines were immediately sent to the Island of Midway to be on what Norm called the “reception committee for the expanding Japanese Empire.”
“I was gone for three years before returning to Camp Chilnualna, 20 months of which was spent in the South Pacific,” Norm wrote.
Garth says his dad came home from the war and never left again.
“In 1949 Camp Chilnualna expanded even more,” penned Norm. “We built a restaurant and called it ‘Chilnualna Lodge Café.’ They leased out land where others built a theatre, service station and garage, and the area was turning into the heart of Wawona.
“The restaurant was going great. We had only been open a year (1950) when the worst happened. The Korean War broke out, and even though I was in the inactive reserve, I was called back immediately for my specialty, MTACS (Marine Tactical Air Control), acting as a forward observer calling in air strikes on enemy positions.”
After 13 months and nearly on the eve of his departure for Korea, the high command decided that Norman May’s extensive service in WW II had been enough, and they gave him the option of going to Korea or getting out.
“Needless to say, I chose the latter.
“I have wandered far a-field from Camp Chilnualna and Wawona, but I wanted to mention how much my getting called back into the Marines disrupted our lives and the course of events for Camp Chilnualna. It was impossible for my parents to continue on trying to run the cabins and restaurants in my absence.”
A creekside cabin at Camp Chilnualna looks out on the south
fork of the Merced River.
The restaurant was leased out to another in what Norm considered a good move, and things went pretty well until the sudden death of Edna from cancer in the fall of 1960.
“This kind of threw things out of ‘gear’ again,” said her grieving son Norman. “My mother was a strong woman. She knew what hard work was and she wasn’t afraid of it. I must say that her strength, perseverance and tenacity [were] the glue that held Camp Chilnualna together in the early days.”
Broken hearts, a new start
With the loss of Edna, said her grandson Garth, “every heart was broken.”
By that time, Norman had already met Patty Lee, a city girl turned mountain woman, originally from North Hollywood. Pat had fallen in love with Wawona during summers there as a girl and eventually scraped and saved to purchase her own small cabin near Camp Chilnualna. That’s how she met Norm.
Pat “stepped unflinchingly into the enormous void left by Edna when she passed,” Garth learned later. “Mom carried them through that time. She and dad were married a year later up at Sentinel Dome, but she became family at that moment.”
Over the years, the May family built new cabins, tore down some old ones, and expanded into property management, continuing to welcome visitors onto the grounds and into their home, where they’d hold court from a big square wooden table while seasons passed at the modest resort inside the giant national park. Time here was said to be elastic.
“Nobody ever knocked on our door, they just walked in,” Garth said.
By the 1970s, some of the Camp Chilnualna cabins and others in the growing area were being managed by an association of homeowners established inside Wawona, known as The Redwoods. Back then, The Redwoods had about 40 cottages under its umbrella; today they handle about 120.
The Camp Chilnualna Cabins, however, remain much as they have for decades. The same goes for Wawona, pretty much, according to Garth and some others who have been around long enough to know.
Back then, he says, the place “wasn’t that different than it is now, really. There are much larger homes, now, and a few more people, but not a lot more people. There are about the same number of kids going to the school down the street as when I was a kid. There are a lot more regulations and things; there’s a rule and a law for everything these days, it seems.
“Burrel Maier has been the stage driver at the history center in the summertime since the 70s. He said to me one day, ‘You know, the only people who say Wawona’s changing too much are folks that haven’t lived here long enough.’ And I totally got what he meant by that. It really is, remarkably, the same kind of vibe even as decades pass.”
Family tradition
Like his dad before him, Garth May left Wawona for a time and lived in the Bay Area, earning a degree in humanities and making music as far away as Tokyo. Once, he found a random postcard someone sent from Wawona and the unmet writer captured the gentle ambiance as Garth remembered it.
“’We woke up and the deer were in front of the cabin eating grass,’” he read, and “’the bear came last night and knocked the garbage can over.’ It was all just exactly as you would describe it in any given year.”
Eventually returning to his old stomping grounds with the bears, birds and deer, Garth said, “I never looked back and realized this is where I wanted to be.”
Harold May has been gone a while now and, in recent years, both Pat and Norm have passed away. But they and Edna are remembered all the time at Camp Chilnualna, where their spirits live on in the sounds of whispering trees and children’s laughter, the changing seasons and in the steady flow of the mighty Merced.
While much stays the same in Wawona, Garth has noted that the weather seems less predictable, while the threat of fire has become more frequent as a combination of a densely grown forest, years of drought and tree mortality conspired to create hazardous conditions.
“Two out of the last three years we were evacuated for a week or so, in spite of my family being here 80-plus years and we had never experienced an evacuation for anything up to that point.”
He’s comforted by the patchwork of defensible space created as each fire is fought and contained.
The modern era
These days, the internet has proved to be a good thing for vacation rentals in Wawona, as Airbnb and other entities have taken on the reservation tasks previously handled in the office. Garth enjoys the convenience of the Airbnb model and credits much of the establishment’s reputation for excellent reviews to Camp Chilnuala’s indispensible live-in manager, the lovely Margina Jones.
“We have guests from all over the world,” Margina shared, saying she’s enjoyed reading reservation request letters from the old days when that’s how business was conducted — slowly — at a pace that seems more naturally akin to Wawona than today’s high-speed internet.
“Wawona is a sacred, beautiful place that will help ground you in the present moment, always being surrounded by the beauty of the river, the trees, the animals,” Margina said. “Just taking a short walk outside here will help bring peace to your heart. It’s a place to always be honored and respected.”
It’s especially peaceful now, in the off-season, when Margina and Garth are busily challenged with the mundane but necessary chores associated with keeping living history intact: installing floors, cleaning cabins, cutting wood and generally shoring up the place, ever accompanied by their constant canine sidekicks.
Dogs, by the way, are welcome visitors at Camp Chilnualna, where everyone is made to feel at home and Garth’s small slice of paradise is, by far, the best place to be.
“My friends that have come up here over the years, they loved my family and they love Yosemite and Wawona. I look up at the trees in the day and the stars at night — and there’s always something interesting going on.”
After 13 months and nearly on the eve of his departure for Korea, the high command decided that Norman May’s extensive service in WW II had been enough, and they gave him the option of going to Korea or getting out.
“Needless to say, I chose the latter.
“I have wandered far a-field from Camp Chilnualna and Wawona, but I wanted to mention how much my getting called back into the Marines disrupted our lives and the course of events for Camp Chilnualna. It was impossible for my parents to continue on trying to run the cabins and restaurants in my absence.”
A creekside cabin at Camp Chilnualna looks out on the south
fork of the Merced River.
The restaurant was leased out to another in what Norm considered a good move, and things went pretty well until the sudden death of Edna from cancer in the fall of 1960.
“This kind of threw things out of ‘gear’ again,” said her grieving son Norman. “My mother was a strong woman. She knew what hard work was and she wasn’t afraid of it. I must say that her strength, perseverance and tenacity [were] the glue that held Camp Chilnualna together in the early days.”
Broken hearts, a new start
With the loss of Edna, said her grandson Garth, “every heart was broken.”
By that time, Norman had already met Patty Lee, a city girl turned mountain woman, originally from North Hollywood. Pat had fallen in love with Wawona during summers there as a girl and eventually scraped and saved to purchase her own small cabin near Camp Chilnualna. That’s how she met Norm.
Pat “stepped unflinchingly into the enormous void left by Edna when she passed,” Garth learned later. “Mom carried them through that time. She and dad were married a year later up at Sentinel Dome, but she became family at that moment.”
Over the years, the May family built new cabins, tore down some old ones, and expanded into property management, continuing to welcome visitors onto the grounds and into their home, where they’d hold court from a big square wooden table while seasons passed at the modest resort inside the giant national park. Time here was said to be elastic.
“Nobody ever knocked on our door, they just walked in,” Garth said.
By the 1970s, some of the Camp Chilnualna cabins and others in the growing area were being managed by an association of homeowners established inside Wawona, known as The Redwoods. Back then, The Redwoods had about 40 cottages under its umbrella; today they handle about 120.
The Camp Chilnualna Cabins, however, remain much as they have for decades. The same goes for Wawona, pretty much, according to Garth and some others who have been around long enough to know.
Back then, he says, the place “wasn’t that different than it is now, really. There are much larger homes, now, and a few more people, but not a lot more people. There are about the same number of kids going to the school down the street as when I was a kid. There are a lot more regulations and things; there’s a rule and a law for everything these days, it seems.
“Burrel Maier has been the stage driver at the history center in the summertime since the 70s. He said to me one day, ‘You know, the only people who say Wawona’s changing too much are folks that haven’t lived here long enough.’ And I totally got what he meant by that. It really is, remarkably, the same kind of vibe even as decades pass.”
Family tradition
Like his dad before him, Garth May left Wawona for a time and lived in the Bay Area, earning a degree in humanities and making music as far away as Tokyo. Once, he found a random postcard someone sent from Wawona and the unmet writer captured the gentle ambiance as Garth remembered it.
“’We woke up and the deer were in front of the cabin eating grass,’” he read, and “’the bear came last night and knocked the garbage can over.’ It was all just exactly as you would describe it in any given year.”
Eventually returning to his old stomping grounds with the bears, birds and deer, Garth said, “I never looked back and realized this is where I wanted to be.”
Harold May has been gone a while now and, in recent years, both Pat and Norm have passed away. But they and Edna are remembered all the time at Camp Chilnualna, where their spirits live on in the sounds of whispering trees and children’s laughter, the changing seasons and in the steady flow of the mighty Merced.
While much stays the same in Wawona, Garth has noted that the weather seems less predictable, while the threat of fire has become more frequent as a combination of a densely grown forest, years of drought and tree mortality conspired to create hazardous conditions.
“Two out of the last three years we were evacuated for a week or so, in spite of my family being here 80-plus years and we had never experienced an evacuation for anything up to that point.”
He’s comforted by the patchwork of defensible space created as each fire is fought and contained.
The modern era
These days, the internet has proved to be a good thing for vacation rentals in Wawona, as Airbnb and other entities have taken on the reservation tasks previously handled in the office. Garth enjoys the convenience of the Airbnb model and credits much of the establishment’s reputation for excellent reviews to Camp Chilnuala’s indispensible live-in manager, the lovely Margina Jones.
“We have guests from all over the world,” Margina shared, saying she’s enjoyed reading reservation request letters from the old days when that’s how business was conducted — slowly — at a pace that seems more naturally akin to Wawona than today’s high-speed internet.
“Wawona is a sacred, beautiful place that will help ground you in the present moment, always being surrounded by the beauty of the river, the trees, the animals,” Margina said. “Just taking a short walk outside here will help bring peace to your heart. It’s a place to always be honored and respected.”
It’s especially peaceful now, in the off-season, when Margina and Garth are busily challenged with the mundane but necessary chores associated with keeping living history intact: installing floors, cleaning cabins, cutting wood and generally shoring up the place, ever accompanied by their constant canine sidekicks.
Dogs, by the way, are welcome visitors at Camp Chilnualna, where everyone is made to feel at home and Garth’s small slice of paradise is, by far, the best place to be.
“My friends that have come up here over the years, they loved my family and they love Yosemite and Wawona. I look up at the trees in the day and the stars at night — and there’s always something interesting going on.”
Bill would force companies to keep insuring homeowners in wildfire zones. Will it work?
By JOSEPH SERNA LA Times STAFF WRITER
FEB. 18, 2020
Insurance companies fleeing high-risk fire zones would have to stay put and even offer discounts if homeowners in those areas prepare for wildfires on a community-wide scale, under a new bill proposed in Sacramento on Tuesday.
The bill, AB 2367, has the backing of state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. It would mandate that starting in 2021, insurers would have to renew policies and continue to write new ones in communities that meet state standards for firescaping, or home hardening, that would be established before the law takes effect.
“Homeowners who have done all the right things, hardening their homes and mitigating for fire danger, are still seeing their insurance canceled or non-renewed,” said state Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), co-author of the bill. “We can’t allow insurance companies to continue to drop responsible homeowners from San Diego to the Sierras just because they can.”
The bill is the latest move from Sacramento to force insurance companies to continue issuing policies in the state’s wildland-urban interface, the gray zone where millions of homeowners reside between suburbia and the forest. As of 2010, roughly one-third of the 13.6 million homes in California were located in this wildfire zone, according to federal data.
Since 2015, insurers have increasingly either boosted premiums or declined to renew homeowner policies in areas recently hit by wildfires or considered at high risk of experiencing one.
Assemblywoman Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), said that since the 2017 Thomas fire, homeowners in her district had experienced “unprecedented rates of insurance non-renewals even when the community has been working towards reducing the risk.”
Because of that, the bill’s proponents say, homeowners are finding it increasingly difficult to stay, rebuild or sell their home due to limited options.
“The key here in the long run is mitigation and how do we lessen the risk for homeowners, lessen the risk to the community,” Lara said. “What we’ve seen lately is consumers investing in thousands of dollars [in fire mitigation] without any guarantee they’ll get any coverage or that they won’t get dropped. This will get a fair balance: let’s get mitigation, inspections, then let’s guarantee you.”
Not everyone is convinced the bill is the best path forward. Rex Frazier, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of California, an association of state insurers, questioned the premise that community-wide efforts are sure to reduce the risks of home losses.
“We’re trying to figure out what is within the individual’s and the community’s power to stop property loss,” he said. “For wildfire, there’s no science right now that exists that can reliably predict what demonstrably reduces the risks of a homeowner. We’re not talking about ordinary home fires; we’re talking about mega-events. Even homes built to the 2008 standards in Paradise, only 50% of those homes survived.”
There are still a number of details to be worked out before the bill takes effect.
A task force that includes officials with the California Office of Emergency Services, State Fire Marshal, California Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research would need to come up with standards for home and community-wide firescaping, a method of maintaining land and property to reduce fire behavior and possible ignitions. The task force would consult with the insurance industry and the standards would differ depending on each community’s risks, Lara said.
Although there’s money in the budget to explore the issue, Lara said, it’s unclear ultimately who will be responsible for certifying that fire defense standards are met and then maintained. It’s also not clear how low-income or disabled residents would meet the standards if they cannot afford to do them or are physically unable to. The law would apply only to existing homes where there’s been an abrupt change in insurance availability, officials said.
Some experts see the legislation as a partial step in the right direction.
“The high-profile nature of the law makes it valuable in raising the profile of the issue,” said Lisa Dale, who teaches sustainable development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. “It’s signaling a market-shift in these dynamics and it’s putting homeowners on notice that they’re going to be responsible for managing their own risk.”
That said, she added, “I’m very skeptical it will get us the outcomes we want.”
By JOSEPH SERNA LA Times STAFF WRITER
FEB. 18, 2020
Insurance companies fleeing high-risk fire zones would have to stay put and even offer discounts if homeowners in those areas prepare for wildfires on a community-wide scale, under a new bill proposed in Sacramento on Tuesday.
The bill, AB 2367, has the backing of state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. It would mandate that starting in 2021, insurers would have to renew policies and continue to write new ones in communities that meet state standards for firescaping, or home hardening, that would be established before the law takes effect.
“Homeowners who have done all the right things, hardening their homes and mitigating for fire danger, are still seeing their insurance canceled or non-renewed,” said state Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), co-author of the bill. “We can’t allow insurance companies to continue to drop responsible homeowners from San Diego to the Sierras just because they can.”
The bill is the latest move from Sacramento to force insurance companies to continue issuing policies in the state’s wildland-urban interface, the gray zone where millions of homeowners reside between suburbia and the forest. As of 2010, roughly one-third of the 13.6 million homes in California were located in this wildfire zone, according to federal data.
Since 2015, insurers have increasingly either boosted premiums or declined to renew homeowner policies in areas recently hit by wildfires or considered at high risk of experiencing one.
Assemblywoman Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), said that since the 2017 Thomas fire, homeowners in her district had experienced “unprecedented rates of insurance non-renewals even when the community has been working towards reducing the risk.”
Because of that, the bill’s proponents say, homeowners are finding it increasingly difficult to stay, rebuild or sell their home due to limited options.
“The key here in the long run is mitigation and how do we lessen the risk for homeowners, lessen the risk to the community,” Lara said. “What we’ve seen lately is consumers investing in thousands of dollars [in fire mitigation] without any guarantee they’ll get any coverage or that they won’t get dropped. This will get a fair balance: let’s get mitigation, inspections, then let’s guarantee you.”
Not everyone is convinced the bill is the best path forward. Rex Frazier, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of California, an association of state insurers, questioned the premise that community-wide efforts are sure to reduce the risks of home losses.
“We’re trying to figure out what is within the individual’s and the community’s power to stop property loss,” he said. “For wildfire, there’s no science right now that exists that can reliably predict what demonstrably reduces the risks of a homeowner. We’re not talking about ordinary home fires; we’re talking about mega-events. Even homes built to the 2008 standards in Paradise, only 50% of those homes survived.”
There are still a number of details to be worked out before the bill takes effect.
A task force that includes officials with the California Office of Emergency Services, State Fire Marshal, California Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research would need to come up with standards for home and community-wide firescaping, a method of maintaining land and property to reduce fire behavior and possible ignitions. The task force would consult with the insurance industry and the standards would differ depending on each community’s risks, Lara said.
Although there’s money in the budget to explore the issue, Lara said, it’s unclear ultimately who will be responsible for certifying that fire defense standards are met and then maintained. It’s also not clear how low-income or disabled residents would meet the standards if they cannot afford to do them or are physically unable to. The law would apply only to existing homes where there’s been an abrupt change in insurance availability, officials said.
Some experts see the legislation as a partial step in the right direction.
“The high-profile nature of the law makes it valuable in raising the profile of the issue,” said Lisa Dale, who teaches sustainable development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. “It’s signaling a market-shift in these dynamics and it’s putting homeowners on notice that they’re going to be responsible for managing their own risk.”
That said, she added, “I’m very skeptical it will get us the outcomes we want.”
Ballot Box in Wawona Library
A ballot box is available at the Wawona Bassett Memorial Library Mon., Wed., Fri. (12 p.m. - 5 p.m.) and Sat. (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to return your completed ballots.
Ballots will be picked up weekly.
Keith Williams
Mariposa County Treasurer, Tax Collector, County Clerk
A ballot box is available at the Wawona Bassett Memorial Library Mon., Wed., Fri. (12 p.m. - 5 p.m.) and Sat. (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to return your completed ballots.
Ballots will be picked up weekly.
Keith Williams
Mariposa County Treasurer, Tax Collector, County Clerk
CONSTRUCTION & TRAFFIC DELAYS
Wawona Road Delays
Construction crews began utility work along Wawona Road between the Wawona Campground entrance and Chilnualna Falls Road Monday, February 10. Workers will be installing new sewer and water lines to connect the Wawona campgrounds to the area sewer collection system, improving water quality of the Merced River and enhancing visitor experience for years to come. Workers will be closing sections of the southbound lane for trenching, reducing traffic to one lane. Delays up to 10 minutes are possible through early March. (A. Hylko)
Wawona Road Delays
Construction crews began utility work along Wawona Road between the Wawona Campground entrance and Chilnualna Falls Road Monday, February 10. Workers will be installing new sewer and water lines to connect the Wawona campgrounds to the area sewer collection system, improving water quality of the Merced River and enhancing visitor experience for years to come. Workers will be closing sections of the southbound lane for trenching, reducing traffic to one lane. Delays up to 10 minutes are possible through early March. (A. Hylko)
Wawona Sewer Project Well Under Way
by Gary Wuchner - Wawona
The Wawona sewer project has begun with work in the Wawona campground. The Alder Creek trailhead parking area is being utilized for rock and dirt separation, although some parking space is still available for hikers. It is estimated it will take 18 months to two years to complete. So far no impacts to visitors or residents. Campers are impacted, as the campground is closed. As they begin to trench along the Wawona RD from the campground to Chilnualna Falls Rd, there will be traffic delays. It is unknown when that trenching may begin.
by Gary Wuchner - Wawona
The Wawona sewer project has begun with work in the Wawona campground. The Alder Creek trailhead parking area is being utilized for rock and dirt separation, although some parking space is still available for hikers. It is estimated it will take 18 months to two years to complete. So far no impacts to visitors or residents. Campers are impacted, as the campground is closed. As they begin to trench along the Wawona RD from the campground to Chilnualna Falls Rd, there will be traffic delays. It is unknown when that trenching may begin.
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, Feburary 11, 2020
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualana Falls Road
Wawona, CA
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of January 21, 2020
3.3–Approve Payroll
3.4- Approve Warrants
3.5 -Accept Donations to YWECS
Michelle Stauffer
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, Feburary 11, 2020
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualana Falls Road
Wawona, CA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
- CONSENT AGENDA
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of January 21, 2020
3.3–Approve Payroll
3.4- Approve Warrants
3.5 -Accept Donations to YWECS
Michelle Stauffer
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- APPROVAL OF CALENDAR FOR 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
- DECLARATION OF NEED FOR A BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER
- ADOPTION OF A MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT POLICY
- APPROVAL OF FORM 990 TAX FILING
INFORMATION ITEMS
- FUNDRAISING EVENTS
- STAFF REPORTS
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- NEXT BOARD MEETING
- CLOSED SESSION: Personnel/Negotiations/Litigation
- Personnel (Gov. Code 54957)
- RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION: Announce Closed Session Actions
- ADJOURNMENT
Wawona BINGO Night
If you live, work or breathe Wawona air- then this includes you!!
Monday, February 24th
Games begin at 6:30 p.m.
Wawona School- 7925 Chilnualna Falls Rd.
*Please 10 dimes for game jackpots
As well as a snack to share
Next BINGO night will be March 16th
This is a Wawona Community event- not sponsored by YWECS
If you live, work or breathe Wawona air- then this includes you!!
Monday, February 24th
Games begin at 6:30 p.m.
Wawona School- 7925 Chilnualna Falls Rd.
*Please 10 dimes for game jackpots
As well as a snack to share
Next BINGO night will be March 16th
This is a Wawona Community event- not sponsored by YWECS
Wawona School Happenings...
Ski Days at Badger!! January brought skiing & snowboarding to the students at YWECS. Thanks to Aramark, the rates for lift tickets as well as rentals were greatly reduced making it affordable for all families to participate.
Thanks to Tenaya Lodge, students also have an opportunity to learn ice skating! Winter Olympics in some of their futures??! Possibilities are endless…
Some of the students started up Give Back Projects, finding different ways to help our communities. Kysen & Joel have chosen to assist the homeless by raising funds and donations through a GoFundMe campaign, an AmazonSmile Wish list, as well as collecting items here at the school.
IF you would like to help them out-1) Go to GoFundMe website, search for YWECS Give Back Project, 2) YWECS AmazonSmile, click on ‘Donations for Poverello House” wish list or 3) Drop off new items (gloves, knit caps, blankets, toothpaste) at Wawona School Monday – Thursday.
Jerzie and Jacob have chosen to assist the new SPCA shelter opening soon in Ahwahnee. They contacted Nulo who donated 1,500 lbs. of dog & cat food on their behalf. The shelter still needs new/nearly new collars and leashes of all sizes.
If you would like to help them you can drop off items at Wawona School.
So very proud of these students working to make a difference and giving back!
Ski Days at Badger!! January brought skiing & snowboarding to the students at YWECS. Thanks to Aramark, the rates for lift tickets as well as rentals were greatly reduced making it affordable for all families to participate.
Thanks to Tenaya Lodge, students also have an opportunity to learn ice skating! Winter Olympics in some of their futures??! Possibilities are endless…
Some of the students started up Give Back Projects, finding different ways to help our communities. Kysen & Joel have chosen to assist the homeless by raising funds and donations through a GoFundMe campaign, an AmazonSmile Wish list, as well as collecting items here at the school.
IF you would like to help them out-1) Go to GoFundMe website, search for YWECS Give Back Project, 2) YWECS AmazonSmile, click on ‘Donations for Poverello House” wish list or 3) Drop off new items (gloves, knit caps, blankets, toothpaste) at Wawona School Monday – Thursday.
Jerzie and Jacob have chosen to assist the new SPCA shelter opening soon in Ahwahnee. They contacted Nulo who donated 1,500 lbs. of dog & cat food on their behalf. The shelter still needs new/nearly new collars and leashes of all sizes.
If you would like to help them you can drop off items at Wawona School.
So very proud of these students working to make a difference and giving back!
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CHP: Hwy 41 Project in Oakhurst to Cause Delays, Rerouting
Posted by: SNO Staff January 22, 2020
OAKHURST — The Madera County Public Works department has started a major construction project that will impact traffic along Oakhurst’s main artery — Highway 41.
“Expect delays and changing traffic patterns as the signage and routes are expected to change,” said an advisory issued late Tuesday by the California Highway Patrol.
The roadwork involves repair and replacement of major sections of the town’s main sewer line, which runs below Highway 41.
Construction crews are expected to be active Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with daily traffic patterns through the construction zone changing as the project continues.
The project is expected to cause daytime delays for those traveling on Highway 41 and Highway 49 as well as Road 426.
Businesses along Highway 41 construction zone will remain open during the project, with access from the highway provided by a series of temporary traffic barriers to be installed and moved as the project progresses.
CHP’s advisory, issued late Tuesday (Jan. 21), also stated: “As a reminder, flashing red lights must be treated as stop signs. In addition to construction workers, we have high pedestrian traffic in the areas surrounding this construction zone. Please drive with caution. Also, please be courteous to other drivers entering and exiting businesses along this route.”
According to the latest update, this project is estimated to last approximately three months.
Posted by: SNO Staff January 22, 2020
OAKHURST — The Madera County Public Works department has started a major construction project that will impact traffic along Oakhurst’s main artery — Highway 41.
“Expect delays and changing traffic patterns as the signage and routes are expected to change,” said an advisory issued late Tuesday by the California Highway Patrol.
The roadwork involves repair and replacement of major sections of the town’s main sewer line, which runs below Highway 41.
Construction crews are expected to be active Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with daily traffic patterns through the construction zone changing as the project continues.
The project is expected to cause daytime delays for those traveling on Highway 41 and Highway 49 as well as Road 426.
Businesses along Highway 41 construction zone will remain open during the project, with access from the highway provided by a series of temporary traffic barriers to be installed and moved as the project progresses.
CHP’s advisory, issued late Tuesday (Jan. 21), also stated: “As a reminder, flashing red lights must be treated as stop signs. In addition to construction workers, we have high pedestrian traffic in the areas surrounding this construction zone. Please drive with caution. Also, please be courteous to other drivers entering and exiting businesses along this route.”
According to the latest update, this project is estimated to last approximately three months.
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Resident and Senior Discounts at Badger
Ski Monday through Friday. Local mountain area residents* ski for $35. Seniors ski for $30. Make sure to bring your ID for the promotion. *for those Badger fans that live within 50 miles of Yosemite |
Update on Homeowners’ Fire Insurance
Because of the devastating effects of the wildfires in California in the last couple of years, insurance rates have gone up and some insurance companies started issuing non-renewals for homes in fire-prone areas. As a result, many homeowners purchased insurance through the California FAIR plan (California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements), created in 1968. This plan is generally cheaper, but is not as comprehensive as other insurers. For this reason, it was recommended to get a “wrap-around” policy to get more coverage.
Some recent developments are:
1) In November 2019, State Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, ordered the FAIR plan to double the policy coverage limit to $3 million (from $1.5 million), and to expand coverage to homes in fire-prone areas that are not adjacent to one of the major wildfires. However, the FAIR plan’s President is challenging the order in court.
2) In December 2019, Commissioner Lara issued a one-year ban on home insurer’s dropping policies (issuing non-renewals) in wildfire areas. This includes more than 1 million homes in or adjacent to wildfire areas.
3) In July 2019, Commissioner Lara attended a round table discussion with lawmakers at UCLA, and announced that his agency would work with officials from the U.N. Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative over the next year to develop a plan to confront California’s climate risks, including wildfires and coastal flooding. They hope to develop “sustainable insurance” guidelines. “A sustainable insurance road map will enable California to harness risk reduction measures, insurance solutions and investments by the insurance industry in order to build safer, disaster-resilient communities”, said Butch Bacani, the leader of the U.N. initiative.
Because of the devastating effects of the wildfires in California in the last couple of years, insurance rates have gone up and some insurance companies started issuing non-renewals for homes in fire-prone areas. As a result, many homeowners purchased insurance through the California FAIR plan (California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements), created in 1968. This plan is generally cheaper, but is not as comprehensive as other insurers. For this reason, it was recommended to get a “wrap-around” policy to get more coverage.
Some recent developments are:
1) In November 2019, State Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, ordered the FAIR plan to double the policy coverage limit to $3 million (from $1.5 million), and to expand coverage to homes in fire-prone areas that are not adjacent to one of the major wildfires. However, the FAIR plan’s President is challenging the order in court.
2) In December 2019, Commissioner Lara issued a one-year ban on home insurer’s dropping policies (issuing non-renewals) in wildfire areas. This includes more than 1 million homes in or adjacent to wildfire areas.
3) In July 2019, Commissioner Lara attended a round table discussion with lawmakers at UCLA, and announced that his agency would work with officials from the U.N. Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative over the next year to develop a plan to confront California’s climate risks, including wildfires and coastal flooding. They hope to develop “sustainable insurance” guidelines. “A sustainable insurance road map will enable California to harness risk reduction measures, insurance solutions and investments by the insurance industry in order to build safer, disaster-resilient communities”, said Butch Bacani, the leader of the U.N. initiative.
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualana Falls Road
Wawona, CA
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of December 10, 2019
3.3–Approve Payroll
3.4- Approve Warrants
3.5 -Accept Donations to YWECS
Freund Family Foundation
Corinne L. Cortes
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualana Falls Road
Wawona, CA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
- CONSENT AGENDA
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of December 10, 2019
3.3–Approve Payroll
3.4- Approve Warrants
3.5 -Accept Donations to YWECS
Freund Family Foundation
Corinne L. Cortes
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- ACCEPTANCE OF THE 2018-19 FINAL AUDIT REPORT
- APPROVAL OF 2017-18 SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT CARD (SARC) FOR YWECS.
- APPROVAL OF THE ANNUAL P-1 ATTENDANCE REPORT
INFORMATION ITEMS
- DISCUSSION ON BOARD MEETING DATES AND TIMES
- FUNDRAISING EVENTS
- STAFF REPORTS
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- NEXT BOARD MEETING
- CLOSED SESSION: Personnel/Negotiations/Litigation
- Personnel (Gov. Code 54957)
- RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION: Announce Closed Session Actions
- ADJOURNMENT
If you've ever wanted to serve on a local school board, now's your chance
Bass Lake School District Seeks New Board Trustee
Posted by: SNO Staff January 16, 2020
OAKHURST — The Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees, which includes Wawona and Fish Camp, is searching for a community member willing to serve on the district’s School Board. An open position on the Board has occurred due to the resignation of Curt Pollock. Pollock, who served on the Board from December 2014 to December 2019, has moved out of the area and can no longer represent his constituents.
Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and a current resume to the Bass Lake District Office at 40096 Indian Springs Road, Oakhurst, CA, 93644, no later than Jan. 24, 2019.
Interested applicants must reside in Trustee Area #1 (Bass Lake/Oakhurst.)
To see if an applicant resides in this area, please visit the Bass Lake Elementary District website. Click on ‘Board of Trustees’ to view the map. Also, a call may be made to the Madera County Elections Office at 559-675-7720 to see if you live in this area.
Persons interested in serving on the Board will be interviewed for the position at the regular Board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2020, in the Oakhurst Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room.
Posted by: SNO Staff January 16, 2020
OAKHURST — The Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees, which includes Wawona and Fish Camp, is searching for a community member willing to serve on the district’s School Board. An open position on the Board has occurred due to the resignation of Curt Pollock. Pollock, who served on the Board from December 2014 to December 2019, has moved out of the area and can no longer represent his constituents.
Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and a current resume to the Bass Lake District Office at 40096 Indian Springs Road, Oakhurst, CA, 93644, no later than Jan. 24, 2019.
Interested applicants must reside in Trustee Area #1 (Bass Lake/Oakhurst.)
To see if an applicant resides in this area, please visit the Bass Lake Elementary District website. Click on ‘Board of Trustees’ to view the map. Also, a call may be made to the Madera County Elections Office at 559-675-7720 to see if you live in this area.
Persons interested in serving on the Board will be interviewed for the position at the regular Board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2020, in the Oakhurst Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room.
2 Cases of Norovirus Confirmed at Yosemite
CBS - Approximately 170 people have come down with gastrointestinal illness, officials at Yosemite National Park announced Thursday. They say those affected include park visitors and employees who spent time at Yosemite Valley. There are also two confirmed cases of the highly-contagious norovirus.
"Most of the cases occurred on and around the first week of January 2020 and there has been significant decline of new cases reported over the past several days," according to park officials. "Yosemite National Park officials and medical professionals with the National Park Service Office of Public Health (OPH) are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the illness and are continuing to conduct interviews with affected people. The overwhelming majority of the reported cases are consistent with norovirus."
Officials said they are working to prevent additional illnesses and Yosemite National Park "continues to undertake extensive cleaning and enhanced sanitation protocols," according to the statement. Anyone who has visited the park and feels ill can send officials an email.
What is norovirus?
Norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu (though it is not related to the flu virus), is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms can include nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache, and body aches.
A person usually develops symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to the virus. People of all ages can be affected by norovirus.
How is norovirus spread?
"When you are sick with norovirus, you can shed billions of virus particles in your vomit and poop. It only takes a few of these particles to make someone sick," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness spreads rapidly if you eat food or drink liquids that are contaminated with the virus, touch contaminated surfaces or objects and then touch your mouth, or have direct contact with an infected person, such as by caring for them or sharing food or utensils with them.
The CDC notes that while people often associate cruise ships with norovirus, acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships. However, the close living quarters on the ship increases the risk of transmission.
Norovirus spreads very easily, including through direct contact with an infected person, touching a surface or object contaminated with norovirus, or eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with norovirus. Symptoms of norovirus usually begin 12-48 hours after exposure.
How is norovirus treated?
Most people will recover from norovirus in a couple of days. Since norovirus is a virus and not bacteria, antibiotics will not treat the infection.
If you are sick from norovirus, drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea. This will help prevent dehydration.
CBS - Approximately 170 people have come down with gastrointestinal illness, officials at Yosemite National Park announced Thursday. They say those affected include park visitors and employees who spent time at Yosemite Valley. There are also two confirmed cases of the highly-contagious norovirus.
"Most of the cases occurred on and around the first week of January 2020 and there has been significant decline of new cases reported over the past several days," according to park officials. "Yosemite National Park officials and medical professionals with the National Park Service Office of Public Health (OPH) are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the illness and are continuing to conduct interviews with affected people. The overwhelming majority of the reported cases are consistent with norovirus."
Officials said they are working to prevent additional illnesses and Yosemite National Park "continues to undertake extensive cleaning and enhanced sanitation protocols," according to the statement. Anyone who has visited the park and feels ill can send officials an email.
What is norovirus?
Norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu (though it is not related to the flu virus), is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms can include nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache, and body aches.
A person usually develops symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to the virus. People of all ages can be affected by norovirus.
How is norovirus spread?
"When you are sick with norovirus, you can shed billions of virus particles in your vomit and poop. It only takes a few of these particles to make someone sick," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness spreads rapidly if you eat food or drink liquids that are contaminated with the virus, touch contaminated surfaces or objects and then touch your mouth, or have direct contact with an infected person, such as by caring for them or sharing food or utensils with them.
The CDC notes that while people often associate cruise ships with norovirus, acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships. However, the close living quarters on the ship increases the risk of transmission.
Norovirus spreads very easily, including through direct contact with an infected person, touching a surface or object contaminated with norovirus, or eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with norovirus. Symptoms of norovirus usually begin 12-48 hours after exposure.
How is norovirus treated?
Most people will recover from norovirus in a couple of days. Since norovirus is a virus and not bacteria, antibiotics will not treat the infection.
If you are sick from norovirus, drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea. This will help prevent dehydration.
