San Mateo County to distribute salvaged PPE after storm caused $7 million in damage to supplies

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Surplus safety equipment salvaged from the San Mateo Event Center after a rainstorm incident last fall caused $7 million in damage will be redistributed to nonprofit organizations and government agencies following the authorization from the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, supervisors announced this week.

“While we deeply regret the damage that occurred during last fall’s rainy season, we are grateful the vast majority of the supplies are still usable and can support purposes including wildfire clean up, disaster relief and other emergency response efforts,” said County Manager Mike Callagy in a statement. “As we move forward, we encourage local community-based organizations that have a need for these supplies to reach out with their request as we are committed to deploying these supplies in ways that protect the well-being and safety of the community.”

The surplus equipment includes individually wrapped gowns, goggles and cleaning materials stored inside boxes that got wet after being left outdoors during a rainstorm last fall. The non-medical grade equipment that is still usable will be redistributed with the help of the nonprofit Wine County Marines. Any damaged packaging and unusable supplies will be disposed of properly.

“Yes, we made a mistake. Humans make mistakes. But the important thing is that we owned up to it and thankfully are finding that these supplies do not need to go to waste,” said County Supervisor Carole Groom.

“We, and the groups we partner with, are grateful that the County of San Mateo is dedicated to finding new purposes for this equipment rather than see it destroyed or go unused,” said James Brown, president of Wine Country Marines, a Sonoma-based charity with Bay Area and nationwide networks, and himself a San Mateo County resident.

San Mateo County maintains a separate collection of medical-grade personal protective equipment for first-responders or other front-line workers, and damages from this incident did not impact the County’s COVID-19 response efforts.

Organizations and government agencies interested in receiving supplies should address inquiries to “Supply Manager” at smcdonatedsupplies@smcgov.org.