Walter F. Ekard

Chief Administrative Officer

         (619) 531-6226
FAX: (619) 557-4060 Chief Administrative Office

December 3, 2007

Noah's Wish
P.O. Box 4288
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Dear Noah’s Wish,

Now that the terrible wildfires of October are behind us and we turn our efforts to
rebuilding and recovery, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the extraordinary
service you provided for the community during this emergency.

This emergency challenged us in many ways. We evacuated over half a million people
and thousands of animals, making it the largest fire evacuation in the nation's history.
Over 20,000 residents took refuge at more than 45 emergency shelters. We answered
nearly 109,000 calls for information, set up and operated four Local Assistance Centers
that helped more than 24,000 residents and fielded 30 damage assessment teams that
assessed more than 2,300 destroyed and damaged structures. With the help of our
community partners, our team met every challenge and then some.

I understand that your organization's efforts went above and beyond the call of duty and,
for that, I want to extend a special thank you. Your dedication to the public at this critical
time was an important factor in our success. We could not have accomplished all we did
without you.

Again, thank you for making a truly special effort. I hope you and yours have a
wonderful holiday season and that your new year is healthy and happy.

Walter F. Ekard
Chief Administrative Officer
San Diego County

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