LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is continuing the push to register Valley fire survivors in Lake County – and Butte fire survivors in Calaveras County – for federal assistance, as a result of President Barack Obama's presidential major disaster declaration issued last month.
FEMA spokesman Steve Solomon said the deadline for registrations is Nov. 23.
With just over a month left to register, there so far have been 2,357 registrations in Lake County alone, with another 994 registrations in Calaveras County, said Solomon.
“The bulk of everything is Lake County,” he explained.
As of Tuesday, Solomon said FEMA has approved $8.44 million in “Individual Assistance” funds for Butte and Valley fire survivors.
Lake County's two Disaster Recovery Centers – at the Middletown Senior Center and at the Burns Valley Mall in Clearlake – have had a total of 1,630 visits, he said.
FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, which have gone out into the communities in an effort to find people who haven't yet registered for help, have had 6,467 interactions with fire victims of the Butte and Valley fires, Solomon said.
If survivors can't transport themselves to a Disaster Recovery Center, Solomon said they can call 916-381-0330 and FEMA will arrange a home visit.
Between Lake and Calaveras counties, Solomon said FEMA has completed 98 percent of the inspections for 2,526 properties.
Regarding housing issues, Solomon said efforts are moving forward to provide temporary housing units in both Lake and Calaveras counties.
“We have 60 mobile housing units in a staging area just north of Sacramento,” he said. “We're in the process now of looking at who is eligible to live in one and where they would be placed.”
FEMA also has now approved “Public Assistance,” which Solomon said is defined as support to repair and rebuild infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
“That's a key development in the process,” he said.
Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA covers 75 percent of the costs, with state and local governments to cover the remainder, Solomon said.
“We're scheduling what we call applicant briefings,” he said, where representatives from various governmental bodies, eligible nonprofits and utilities can get information on how the application process works.
Solomon said the first applicant briefing is from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the Board of Supervisors chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
Another will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in the banquet room at the Mount St. Helena Golf Course, 2025 Grant St., in Calistoga, he said. That briefing is only for local governments, tribal governments and certain private nonprofits in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Separately, Solomon said the state of California is offering disaster unemployment assistance, but the deadline for that is approaching – it's Oct. 26.
He said people can register by calling 800-300-5616 (English) or 800-326-8937 (Spanish), 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.
Solomon said eligible workers can receive as much a $450 a week for up to 28 weeks.
FEMA also reported that its Disaster Recovery Centers in Lake County will have new hours beginning this weekend.
The centers are located in the former Apria Healthcare building at 14860 Olympic Drive in the Burns Valley Mall in Clearlake, and the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.
New hours starting this weekend are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and closed on Sunday.
Survivors also can apply for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362; TTY 800-462-7585; 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.
Editor's note: A previous version of the story did not specify that the Nov. 2 applicant briefing was open only to organizations and local governments from Napa and Sonoma counties.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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