$750 gift cards offered to evacuees impacted by Northern California lithium battery fire
A relief fund has been established that will provide gift cards for Monterey County residents impacted by the battery storage facility fire in Moss Landing earlier this month.
Vistra Energy, which operates the facility housed in the Moss Landing power plant, has set up the fund in partnership with the Community Foundation for Monterey County.
The lithium-ion battery energy storage system facility caught fire on Jan. 16, leading to evacuation orders for about 1,200 nearby residents.
Nobody was injured and the evacuations were lifted after about 24 hours. Initial air quality measurements from the federal and state governments indicated there was no threat to residents, but elevated levels of heavy metals were detected in nearby Elkhorn Slough following the fire by a team from San Jose State University. Environmental concerns had earlier been raised about the fire and its proximity to the sensitive wetlands area.
The day after the fire started, one Monterey County supervisor described the incident as a "Three Mile Island" event for the emerging lithium-ion battery industry. On January 21st, Monterey County officials declared a state of emergency in response to the Moss Landing fire.
Anyone 18 years old or older who lives in the evacuation zone is eligible to apply. There will be one gift card for $750 issued per address. Applications can be found at https://bit.ly/MossLandingFireRelief.
There will also be two chances to apply in person. The first is from 1-8 p.m. on Saturday at Castro Plaza Family Resource Center, located at 10601 McDougall St. in Castroville.
Applications will also be available from 2-6 p.m. on Monday at the Moss Landing Harbor District office at 7881 Sandholdt Road in Moss Landing.
Vistra has made a donation of $450,000 to start the fund, according to a press release from the Community Foundation for Monterey County.
The gift cards will be distributed in partnership with the United Way and the Castro Plaza Family Resource Center. Applications for financial assistance for businesses will be offered soon, according to the Community Foundation.
The foundation is a nonprofit grant-making organization not affiliated with the county government. Information collected in applications will not be shared with Vistra or the county, according to the foundation.
More information is available at mosslandingresponse.com.
