LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday morning the Board of Supervisors heard updates on the ongoing Valley fire recovery efforts and the work to prepare for possible safety issues that could result from the wet winter that is in the forecast.

Lake County Social Services Director Carol Huchingson, who the board also has appointed to act as the county's recovery coordinator, updated the supervisors on the fire recovery efforts going on at the local level.

She said the county's recovery task force continues to hold a weekly conference call with county, state and federal officials, along with tribal representatives.

The county's Local Assistance Center Web site has transitioned to www.lakecountyrecovers.com , Huchingson said.

Huchingson said the sheriff's office is continuing with high visibility patrols in the fire area on an around-the-clock, seven-day-a-week basis. “Their intent in doing so is to reduce thefts and other crimes.”

She said Community Development Director Rick Coel is working on a policy that proposes to expand the rules for temporary dwellings – such as RVs and Federal Emergency Management Agency manufactured housing units – on fire-impacted properties. That policy will be brought to the board next Tuesday.

Public Works Director Scott De Leon and his staff are coordinating with the Natural Resources Conservation Service on 16 project sites where they are installing prevention measures such as k-rail or sandbags to protect structures against debris flow in the case of heavy rains this winter, Huchingson said.

Other Public Works projects include working with the United States Geological Survey to place additional stream gauges to monitor flow conditions and rainfall in Putah Creek, and work with FEMA to clear dead or burned trees and other obstructions from creek channels, Huchingson said.

She said efforts are under way now to secure rights of entry along creeks, with inmate crews to go in and clear obstructions. That work is starting this week.

Huchingson said Public Works also is working with FEMA, the California Office of Emergency Services, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District and fire districts on an early warning system for Anderson Springs and Hidden Valley Lake to alert residents there about potential flooding.

The county is working on a contract to remove trees cut down in rights of ways, as well as a new contract to look at remaining trees that may need to be removed due to being hazardous, Huchingson said.

She updated the board on the county's handling of donations, noting a warehouse – the Work Right building next to Lampson Field – is full of items donated for fire survivors. Adventist Community Services is working with the county to oversee the donations and their distribution.

Huchingson said county staff is working on a schedule of community meetings. “We want to report out to the community in the burn area and receive citizen input and community input.”

She said the county is reminding community members that deadlines are coming up this Friday for property owners who need to sign right of entry forms for cleaning up structures burned by the Rocky and Jerusalem fires.

Supervisor Jim Comstock asked how the county would know what properties have been cleaned up.

Coel came forward at that point, explaining his department was checking the property lists with Lake County Environmental Health, which is overseeing the cleanup.

Any properties that aren't cleaned up will need to be abated, said Coel, adding that not a lot of people whose properties were impacted in the Rocky and Jerusalem fires have signed the right of entry forms to allow the state-led cleanup to take place on their land.

As for temporary housing solutions for Valley fire victims, Coel said there are solutions, but money is needed to fix infrastructure to create housing sites.

One example, he said, is the Hoberg's Resort property in Cobb.

It's not in a flood zone, has its own sewer plant, is next door to a Cobb water system and has flat ground. However, Coel said they can't expect the property owner to invest up to $150,000 in infrastructure improvements for temporary housing.

“We need to do something about Cobb to help that community come back,” said Coel, estimating that some 500 Cobb homes – about half of the homes on that community – were lost in the fire.

“This needs to be addressed. It has been going on for far too long,” Coel said, noting both his staff and Supervisor Rob Brown have been trying to get the situation worked out.

“There is not a better location in the Cobb area to put housing,” he said of Hoberg's, explaining that issues like the many dead standing trees and torn up water systems have left only a very few sites that are safe for temporary housing.

He said the owner of Hoberg's is willing to let the site be used for up to three years, and that would allow them to put in a park for model RVs, get families placed and children back in school. “There is a solution there and it needs to be dealt with quickly.”

Susheel Kumar of the Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance also updated the board on his agency's work to assist fire survivors.

As of Tuesday morning, Kumar said the SBA had approved 93 low-interest loans for a total of $9,975,000. That included 86 for homeowners totaling $9.6 million and $331,000 for seven businesses.

“That's in three short weeks,” he said, noting they could hit the $10 million mark by Wednesday morning.

Kumar said the SBA's disaster program is designed specifically to homeowners, ranchers, business owners and private nonprofits.

He explained during the meeting that renters can apply for loans up to $40,000 at 1.875 percent, homeowners can seek up to $200,000 in loans and businesses or nonprofits can receive up to $2 million at a 4-percent fixed rate for 30 years with no points or fees.

Kumar said he has heard concerns from community members regarding how to keep going through the winter, an issue that the SBA's program specifically addresses.

He said the first step is to register with FEMA. That can be done by visiting the FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers at 14860 Olympic Drive in Clearlake or at the Middletown Senior Center at 21256 Washington St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Registration also can take place over the phone at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or, for the hearing/speech impaired, 800-462-7585; or online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov .

Kumar said the registration needs to take place by Nov. 23.

He said 443 applications are still in the pipeline – 53 on the business side and 390 for homeowners. Kumar said they are hoping to see the total number rise closer to the number of homes destroyed.

“Our program really is essential to the recovering needs of Lake County,” he said.

Kumar, who noted he has been working with Jack Long, the county's economic development manager, said, “We've done a lot of work, we've got a lot more work to do.”

Comstock congratulated the SBA and Kumar for their efforts. “They're doing an outstanding job.”

Kumar added that, regarding the Rocky fire, the SBA has received 11 applications for disaster assistance loans and approved two of them, for a total of $389,500.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.