SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R- Fresno) has selected Naomi Tobias, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Central California Animal Disaster Team (CCADT) as the 8th Assembly District’s 2023 Woman of the Year.
Tobias founded CCADT in 2011 and has saved thousands of animals in the Central Valley by coordinating with emergency response agencies and Red Cross Central California to evacuate and provide emergency sheltering during crisis situations. Since 2013, the CCADT has deployed to assist at 45 wildfires, 42 of which were in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as major floods and home fires. CCADT has also provided mutual-aid at the Camp Fire in Paradise, Lightening Complex fire in Solano County and the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County.
“It has been shown that during disasters, people will risk their lives to save their pets or will not evacuate if their pets are left behind,” said Tobias. “CCADT was built on the foundation that pets are family members and saving pet lives will help save human lives. Our mission is to bring the entire family out of crisis and into care.”
This year has been very busy for CCADT. They responded to flooding in Merced in January and after the last several weeks of snow and rain, have provided assistance with emergency animal sheltering in Fresno, Madera, and again in Merced County. Currently, they are assisting Tulare County Animal Services with emergency pet sheltering at Porterville College and are on standby to assist in Delano as well.