CLEARLAKE >> Lake County Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski said the county has started the preliminary phase of debris clean up in the Sulphur Fire area and that will go on until completed.
The announcement, issued earlier this week, is seen as a sign of progress. Debris removal will allow county officials to begin the next phase in the process — one that will take a bit longer. This process is combined with state and federal level resources that are being stretched over seven counties Ruminski said.
The goal is to wrap up work in Lake County as quickly as possible, so resources can be transferred to the counties requiring a greater cleanup effort.
“For the household hazardous waste preliminary phase is being done by two main contracting agencies: The state agency is the Toxic Substances Control Agency is doing our county and four others and the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) is doing larger projects in Napa and Sonoma,” Ruminski said.
In previous years CalRecycle has performed cleanup work after fires, Ruminski said. This year the US Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) has been assigned to Lake County, as well as some neighboring counties for cleanup.
Right now the CoE is helping get Rights of Entry Permits signed by survivors who lost their homes so the county can get in and clean the area with proper permission. The main point of contact that the county has with the CoE is through the Local Assistance Center. The center remains open until Friday.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said the important thing to do right now is to fill out the Rights of Entry Permits because there is a deadline to get them in and sometimes private contractors may not get to the property as quickly.
“These four counties and the disasters that we experienced have more total home loss than Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas combined. It’s substantial and so it is going to be tough to find contractors to do it. So I recommend people get the Rights of Entry signed and if you get a contractor last minute you can always pull out,” Brown said.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said the city and county are working on an agreement for mutual aid because they are two separate entities but were both affected by the fire.
“We’re working on an agreement that would be between the city and county for Emergency Management Mutual Aid so that the Environmental Health Department can support the city in their portion of the cleanup operation,” Huchingson said.
The City of Clearlake will have a special meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Clearlake City Hall to approve the agreement and also to go over updates on what is currently happening in regards to the aftermath of the fire. Officials from Lake County Fire, Cal OES and FEMA will be there to let the community know what processes they are taking.
The county will also be voting on the use of temporary dwellings for those who did lose their homes on their November 7 Board of Supervisor meeting Huchingson said. This is subject to change to an earlier date but the county is unsure at this time.
This will give a chance for those who are looking to rebuild immediately to live near where construction will be done on their new home or structure.
Just like disasters in the past, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is looking to help locals who lost their homes by providing low-interest loans to those looking for funding. The organization offers funds to those looking to rebuild their homes, buildings, stores, or other financial needs.
