LAKE COUNTY >> After Cal OES denied requests by the county to extend the deadline, Rights of Entry (RoE) forms for Sulphur Fire cleanup can no longer be accepted.
The decision requires those who did not complete forms to use private contracting to clear debris and toxic material from their properties. State and county officials have said that clean up in the fire zone is not optional.
But there is a bit of positive news. Cal OES representative Dana Ellis said while looking at the various counties, Lake County has the highest percentage of RoE forms filled out and submitted at 85 percent.
Out of the 137 lots destroyed or damaged in the blaze, 118 property owners submitted forms.
The numbers reported from Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino as of Monday afternoon fell in the 50 to 60 percent range.
County Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski said out of that there are around five or six property owners he is aware of who are doing their cleanup through private contractors.
“That is a noon report and we get our mail in the afternoon so that 118 will grow and we also had a few this morning from yesterday afternoon’s mail. I will also go to other stations where people might have dropped them off,” Ruminski said. “It will grow to about 125, maybe more plus the five or six on private contractors.”
For the county, the next step is reporting a list to Cal OES informing them of all those who will be participating in the state-funded program for cleanup. That deadline is November 21
Fire victims who did not sign up for the cleanup option and do not hire a contractor will eventually be red tagged and fined by Code Enforcement as a public nuisance.
“The deadline methodology turns our victims into violators and that kind of bothers me. So when we talk about sending Code Enforcement and obtaining warrants we have to make sure it’s a true abandoned by lot rather than someone who is in some sort of victim stage,” Ruminski said.
With concern of not getting properties cleaned up, a deadline has been set by the board on the December 15 for people to file their intentions to clear debris. This gives property owners time to find and schedule a contractor.
The Disaster Recovery Center will continue to be open for a couple more weeks to help serve the fire survivors and is located at the Clearlake Community Center on Bowers Avenue.
“We are co-located with the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA over in a banquet room at the Best Western in Clearlake and will remain a presence there as long as needed,” Ellis said. “There are FEMA and a state team in the field today doing a preliminary damage assessment and once that is completed it will get submitted to the JFO (Joint Field Office) in Sacramento.”
As for those seeking temporary housing, FEMA is working with Clearlake Resort to put in temporary manufactured units and travel trailers, depending on what is needed by an applicant. Up to 20 units may be needed from those who are displaced from their homes FEMA representative Lance Harbour said.
