MOSS LANDING >> County officials are continuing to collect samples from the aftermath of the fire at the Moss Landing Battery Storage plant back in January, in addition to checking out results from the survey filled out by hundreds of residents.

During the county briefing Thursday, Ric Encarnacion, the director of the Environmental Health Bureau, said the department continues to work with federal and state partners to collect samples.

“We have about three more sites to collect samples from,” Encarnacion said. “We also have our dashboard online with the GIS mapping format.”

The new interactive dashboard allows users to find results of water and soil testing, in addition to screening results collected throughout the area dating back to Jan. 17.

The site will continue to be updated as additional testing results are analyzed, including the most recent samples collected as part of the Community Sampling Plan.

Edward Moreno with the Public Health department reported on the survey recently completed by hundreds of county residents.

A total of 1,539 people completed the survey, with more than 65% from Monterey County and about 25% from Santa Cruz County.

The survey respondents highlighted several key concerns including persistent physical symptoms, potential long-term health effects, environmental safety regarding air, soil, water and food contamination, and deficiencies in emergency alert systems, particularly in the timeliness and clarity of notifications.

The survey also indicated that 83% of respondents experienced at least one symptom, most commonly headaches, sore throats and coughs following the incident.

“One objective is to gather information about what concerns individuals may have had about their health during and following the fire, and also to gather information about how individuals may have received notifications and guidance during the event,” Moreno said.

Moreno added that the next steps will be to evaluate the survey and see if the Public Health Department can make any changes to their processes.