LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Emergency Services is encouraging community members impacted by the Rocky and Jerusalem fires to take advantage of resources that are being offered to assist them.

County officials said they are committed to the recovery for those who had homes or structures burned in the Rocky or Jerusalem fires.

Residents with destroyed or damaged structures from the fires are asked to please call the Fire Help Line at 800-325-9604 and give information for the completion of a damage assessment.

The telephone assessment will be forwarded to the Lake County Recovery Unit to aid in planning of the recovery process.

“I am proud to say that Lake County residents are resilient and we, at the County and Lake County OES, pledge our assistance through this recovery process,” said Lake County Administrative Officer and Director of Emergency Services Matt Perry.

Recovery is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional effort. The safety of Lake County residents and the environment is top priority.

To that end, Lake County OES and its many partners are focused on the development of a thorough and comprehensive debris removal plan.

To access potential funding sources to aid in the cleanup and debris removal for the Rocky fire, the plan requires Board of Supervisors approval.

The plan currently is scheduled for consideration at the Board of Supervisors' meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The Fire Help Line is staffed 24/7 thanks to a partnership with the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, and also provides referrals for services and information about current fire status.

A virtual recovery assistance center is available online at www.LakeCountyLAC.com .

If you do not have Internet access, you may access the Web site from any computer at the Lake County Libraries for free.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – During a special Tuesday afternoon meeting, the Board of Supervisors took the first steps in putting into place the framework to guide the county's recovery from the devastation wrought over the past two weeks by the Rocky fire.

The board met for nearly 70 minutes before an audience of about 40 county and state officials, all of them involved in the process of responding to the fire, which has burned nearly 70,000 acres since it began east of Lower Lake on the afternoon of July 29.

Cal Fire has reported that the fire burned 43 residences and 53 outbuildings, and damaged an additional eight structures, figures that county officials said appear to be low based on their investigation.

By the end of the meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve several actions proposed by county staff regarding issues ranging from a debris cleanup plan to adjusting the upcoming fiscal year's recommended budget to help cover some of the anticipated costs.

County Administrative Officer Matt Perry told the board that the county's Emergency Operations Center identified some of the key issues he was bringing to the supervisors.

On Thursday, he submitted a request to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services for funding under the California Disaster Assistance Act to help the county cover costs incurred in responding to, and recovering from, the Rocky fire.

He said on Tuesday afternoon that he was still waiting for final approval of the request, noting that the policies the board was set to discuss would hinge on whether or not that funding is received.

The total funding the county could receive is between $4 million and $5 million, according to statements during the meeting.

Perry also noted that a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant Program has been awarded that will cover 75 percent of the costs to fight the fire.

Options for cleaning up

One of the key considerations Perry presented to the board was for a debris management plan for the fire-damaged areas, including private property.

With the burned buildings and debris possibly containing hazardous materials – including asbestos and heavy metals – Perry said there needs to be a plan to properly dispose of the materials in order to protect public safety.

He said disposal of the materials is a concern due to the possibility of people transporting them improperly or illegally dumping them, which could expose more people to the hazards.

As such, he presented the board with two options: to either leave the cleanup to property owners with regulatory oversight provided by the county; or the more comprehensive, safest and expensive option, to have the clean up performed by specialized contractors managed by the state's Cal Recycle agency and Lake County Environmental Health and Building and Safety Divisions on behalf of property owners.

In the case of selecting the second option, Perry said it would be paid for completely through the California Disaster Assistance Act.

While the second option had the highest cost, Perry said it also came with the highest assurance of protection to property owners and the community at large.

Supervisor Rob Brown asked about the number of insured homes among those destroyed. Perry explained that the Lake County Location Assistance Center is collecting the information. “A lot of them appear to be unpermitted.”

A requirement to get the state funding is the declaration of a local health emergency, which county Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait prepared.

Tait said the burned debris is considered hazardous waste due to the presence of asbestos and heavy metals. The sheer number of buildings involved, she added, is enough to elevate the situation to a higher level of concern for the entire community.

She said of the proposed proclamation, “This would pave the way to request the assistance that is needed to intervene quickly,” adding that time is of the essence.

Tait explained that private property owners can opt out of the state-funded debris disposal program that was proposed, but the state would still require them to meet program standards.

“There's a lot of technical issues involved with doing this well,” Tait said of the cleanup process.

In addition to concerns about ash and the hazardous materials it might contain, Tait said rain and runoff could cause heavy metals from the debris to enter the watershed.

Supervisor Jeff Smith suggested the county needed to be just as concerned about runoff as the other issues with the hazardous materials – especially if the forecast for heavy winter rains holds true. “This has got to be done quickly,” he said of the cleanup.

At the same time, Smith said, “We have to be real cognizant of the folks who have lost everything,” and give them a chance to visit their properties to recover what they want before cleanups begin, although Health Services Director Jim Brown cautioned that going through burned remains was a potential health hazard.

Perry also brought up the idea of waiving building permits for rebuilding the permitted structures that the fire destroyed, adding that it should only be available for a limited period of between six and 12 months or “some reasonable period of time.”

Supervisor Jim Comstock said his home, built in 1918, didn't have a building permit, but it was on the tax roll. Perry replied that his memo to the board on the policy decisions included a way to address such properties where original construction predated building permit requirements.

Brown raised issues with waiving permit fees that would have to be covered by insurance companies. “Basically, we're letting the insurance companies off their responsibility.”

Community Development Department staffer Audrey Knight went over the findings of teams of county staffers who went into the burned areas in the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision east of Clearlake Oaks and the Morgan Valley area near Lower Lake to do damage assessments over the weekend.

She reported that, altogether, they red-tagged 91 sites, with 18 more properties still to be posted.

The teams found 40 single family dwellings and nine mobile homes were destroyed, of which 5 to 10 percent had building permits or were built before such permits were approved, according to county staff estimates, she said.

Any building before 1980 is generally going to have asbestos issues, Knight explained.

Approximately 61 outbuildings were destroyed, of which county staff estimated 10 to 20 percent of them were living environments.

The properties where county staff posted notices included areas where there were hazards found – including propane and other fuel tanks used for off-the-grid living that are leaking – whether areas were completely burned or not, Knight said.

She showed pictures of extensive debris fields – burned homes and smaller structures, burned vehicles and piles of metal and other items.

Knight said the county teams also have found 17 documented sites that may or may not have been covered by Cal Fire's damage assessment. Staff is continuing to post notices for hazards and work on summarizing assessed values.

She said field reports noted that 100-foot clearances of vegetation around residences had saved some buildings from burning.

Seeking funding

Regarding the state funding, “We've heard very encouraging words that that funding will be obtained, we just haven't received confirmation of it,” said Perry.

As to questions Board Chair Anthony Farrington had about how quickly such funding would be made available, Sean Smith, Cal OES Disaster Assistance Programs specialist, said the state can advance funds rather than making reimbursement payments in order to expedite the assistance.

Last year, the city of Weed – which was devastated by a fire that tore through it – received funding in less than 15 days, Smith said.

The county of Lake had received state funds for the damage due to severe early December storms. “You guys have far surpassed any cost you had in the December storms,” Smith said.

While Smith – like Perry – had hoped to have final confirmation of the state grant award by the Tuesday meeting, “I would expect it in the next few days,” Smith said of the approval.

Smith said the $4 million to $5 million that is being sought for the debris removal plan also would be matched with a 10-percent administrative allowance to cover county staff costs.

Farrington asked about how much of the overall grant could be advanced. Smith said as much as the county needed. He said Weed had received 50 percent up front. The funds can be expedited, he said, due to public safety concerns.

Social Services Director Carol Huchingson also gave the board a working draft report on a temporary shelter plan for displaced residents.

She said six households went to the local assistance center on Monday, most wanting help with debris removal and cleanup. Huchingson said the assistance center and the county's assistance hotline are still gathering data, but overall the number of residents seeking help so far has been relatively small, which she said would be consistent with the damage assessment.

Next orders of business will be to establish a longterm care committee, as well as a committee to oversee funds that are being collected for the recovery effort by local organizations and agencies such as Mendo Lake Credit Union and North Coast Opportunities, all of which will be asked to pool the money they receive into one fund, Huchingson said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Huchingson said $10,000 had been raised by Mendo Lake Credit Union.

Huchingson also proposed offering housing assistance vouchers and looking for other ways to help displaced residents. “The numbers are not huge,” she said of those seeking help. “They appear to be manageable set of numbers.”

The board voted to approve the option for a state-funded and managed cleanup – contingent on state funding; approved Tait's local emergency proclamation; directed staff to work on a policy regarding waiving building permit fees to rebuild destroyed structures; gave Huchingson consensus to move forward on her draft temporary housing plan; and approved a resolution establishing a disaster response and recovery fund with a budget amendment of $250,000 that was moved from contingencies to place into the fund to cover county staff and sheriff's operations.

The supervisors are expected to continue their discussion of various aspects of the recovery at next week's meeting.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council this week will hold public hearings on telecommunication facilities rules and administrative penalties, and consider forming an ad hoc committee to seek funds for improving the city's roads.

The council will meet in closed session at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, to discuss litigation as well as property negotiations with Katz Kirkpatrick Properties regarding a potential sale of the city's 26-acre former airport property and a possible property purchase adjacent to Highlands Visitor Center before convening in open session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

At the start of the meeting, the council will honor retiring Clearlake Police Sgt. Nick Bennett for his years of service and Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen will present new police department employees.

The council will hold a public hearing to consider a draft amendment to the zoning ordinance to add a new article and provisions to regulate telecommunications towers, antennae and related systems.

City Manager Greg Folsom's report to the council explains that the city has recently received several wireless facility applications “consisting mostly of proposals to install large cellular transmission towers.”

However, the city does not have any regulations in place currently to deal with such applications, Folsom noted.

The city's contract planner has drafted a set of regulations that currently are being reviewed by the Clearlake Planning Commission, which will hold a public hearing on the regulations on Aug. 18, according to Folsom.

Folsom's report said the council is being asked to review the draft regulations and provide any technical questions to staff ahead of the next council meeting on Aug. 27.

The council also will hold a public hearing to confirm assessments totaling $87,500 for administrative penalties for failure to abate nuisances on a number of properties.

In council business, council members will consider creating an ad hoc committee to explore sources of revenue for road improvements.

The item was placed on the agenda at the request of Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson during the July 23 meeting.

The council has made several attempts over the last few years to pass a sales tax ballot measure to fund road improvements, but all have failed.

On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers and the July 23 meeting minutes.

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.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall this week will discuss a show of thanks to the firefighters who have been working to safeguard the county against the massive wildland fires in its borders and also will get a report from a committee exploring a new Dollar General store proposal.

MATH will meet in the activity room at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St., beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.

Meetings are open to the community.

One of the main items of the night is approval of a letter expressing gratitude to Cal Fire and other responding agencies for their efforts on the recent wildland fires.

In other key items of business, Monica Rosenthal will give a report from the committee MATH formed to assess a proposal for a new Dollar General store in the town.

Cross Development is proposing to build the 9,100-square-foot store at 20900 S. Highway 29.

Also on Thursday, Marlene Elder will give an update on the monthly movies in Middletown Square Park. The family event kicked off in July and has had two showings so far.

Other items on the agenda will include public input, traffic on Santa Clara Street, road conditions on Big Canyon Road from the bridge the “Y,” MATH's bylaws, approval of the July 9 regular meeting minutes and items on the Sept. 10 agenda.

The board of directors includes Chairman Fletcher Thornton, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Ken Gonzales, and members Charlotte Kubiak and Mike Tabacchi.

MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

Meetings are subject to videotaping.

For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the Jerusalem fire pushing aggressively to the north, firefighters continued their efforts to hold the fire's growth with ground and air resources, while local officials called for new mandatory evacuations on Tuesday evening.

During the course of Tuesday the fire grew another 2,000 acres, hitting the 14,000-acre mark by evening, at which point Cal Fire said it was 5-percent contained.

The fire began Sunday afternoon in the Jerusalem Valley area northeast of Middletown, south of the perimeter of the Rocky fire, which remained at 69,636 acres and 88-percent containment on Tuesday. The causes of both fires are being actively investigated.

More resources continue to be moved to the Jerusalem fire, which had 1,660 personnel assigned on Tuesday, along with 118 engines, 53 hand crews, 28 dozers, 22 water tenders, 18 helicopters and four air tankers also committed, Cal Fire said.

Based on Cal Fire's maps of the incident, a spur of the Jerusalem fire moved into Napa County some time during the past day.

Cal Fire said the Jerusalem fire is burning in heavy brush, with lack of roads and erratic winds continuing to hamper firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze.

On Tuesday evening, because of the fire's movement and continued growth, the Lake County Sheriff's Office issued new mandatory evacuations for all residents along Morgan Valley Road from the Rocky Fire burn area, which is near the Reiff Road intersection, east to the Napa County line, and for Reiff Road from the Morgan Valley Road intersection east to the Yolo County line, as Lake County News has reported.

Previously placed under mandatory evacuation was the Jerusalem Valley area east of Spruce Grove, including Tinilyn Road, Nicholas Way, Jaclyn Road, June Bug Drive, Jerusalem Grade, Jerusalem Valley Road, Jerusalem Road, W Jerusalem Road, Canyon Road, Coon Flat Road and Daly Place.

Officials said advisory evacuations remain in effect for Grange Road from Luchetti Ranch Road east to Bucksnort Creek, and Butts Canyon Road from Bucksnort Creek east to the Napa County line.

Altogether, Cal Fire said 50 structures remain threatened, but none have been burned or damaged thus far, with reports from the fire lines indicating firefighters have been working on structure protection.

Evacuees are being directed to Middletown High School, 20932 Big Canyon Road, where a Red Cross evacuation shelter remains open, telephone 415-971-0797.

The Lake County Office of Emergency Services reported that the Red Cross will close the Middletown shelter at noon on Wednesday and reopen the shelter at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St. That shelter can be reached at 415-307-4503.

Supervisors get fire update

The Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss recovery efforts relating to the Rocky fire, with Supervisor Jim Comstock – in whose district the Jerusalem fire is burning – giving the board and a group of county and state officials an update on the incident.

Comstock noted during the report that he and his family have received an advisory evacuation notice because of the Jerusalem fire.

“It's expected to get a whole lot larger that it is now,” Comstock said of the fire, which at that point was still reported to be 12,000 acres.

He said the fire is burning into unpopulated areas, as well as the Rocky fire perimeter. “It's basically brush, rocks and rattlesnakes.”

Comstock cautioned that, due to conditions – including a forecast of hotter weather at week's end along with northwest winds – the fire could double in size again, as it did over Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

He said there is an effort to protect major power infrastructure in the area – which supplies electricity to much of the southern part of the county – from the fire.

Comstock said the fire is being driven by fuel and dry conditions, and has left some areas looking like moonscapes.

He credited firefighters for their jobs in protecting people and property.

Supervisor Jim Steele asked if there was any recorded burn history in the area. Comstock said yes, that much of the fire area has been burned previously. The site of the former US Coast Guard LORAN station, however, hasn't burned since the 1940s, he added.

Comstock had cautioned that a large plume of smoke was expected to be seen from the fire on Tuesday, and that was the case, with drift smoke that was seen as far away as Clearlake Oaks triggering calls to 911, based on radio reports.

He said he was remaining cautiously optimistic about progress on the fire as long as the winds come from the west.

Cal Fire said Jerusalem Valley Road is closed to all traffic at Spruce Grove Road, Morgan Valley Road from Reiff Road southeast to Napa County line and Reiff Road from Morgan Valley east to Yolo County line.

Per the Napa County Sheriff's Office, Berryessa Knoxville Road also is closed from Lake Berryessa north.

Cal Fire continues to estimate the Jerusalem fire will be fully contained on Aug. 17.

The Lake County Air Quality Management District reported that current weather patterns are carrying smoke from the Jerusalem fire to the east and north of Lake County, which so far has resulted in county air quality remaining in the good to moderate range.

However, the district said early forecasts for Friday and into the weekend indicate a change in the weather pattern that may bring smoke back into Lake County from the Jerusalem fire, causing air quality issues.

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.