Out of the ashes
East County begins to rebuild
By Greg
Eichelberger
The Alpine Sun
As the last remaining hotspots are finally doused or buried,
victims of the Harris Fire — which ripped a swath from Potrero
to Jamul — are now coming to the realization that they may need
immediate, long-term assistance.
And while the emergency shelters and food lines are
mostly gone, the more mundane and often heartbreaking task of
piecing together one’s home and life now begins. Those
encountering this obstacle will not be featured on local
newscasts, nor will their plights be known to most East County
residents, but it’s something that needs to be accomplished.
One of the first steps in aiding those who lost homes
and/or businesses came from Sacramento, as Gov. Arnold
Schwartzenegger announced the opening of several local one-stop
assistance centers, including one on the campus of Cuyamaca
Community College in Rancho San Diego.
“I think that our one-stop shops is one of those
follow-throughs, where everyone is together here under one roof,
and where we try to provide services for the people,” said the
governor. “And FEMA is a very important component. They and OES
[Office of Emergency Services] have been working together. And
so I just wanted to come here and to see the various different
stations, and to see how the people are serviced, and to see
also that it works.
“The victims of these wildfires have suffered greatly
and have lost so much,” he said. “We must do everything to
ensure all available resources are used to assist the fire
victims and their communities to recover as quickly as
possible.”
These local assistance centers serve as one-stop
sources for disaster relief services including information on
how to replace records lost in the fires, file insurance claims
and apply for assistance and housing.
The governor’s office also announced that in order to
cut the red tape that often impedes fire victims from getting
the supplies they need, special load permits will be issued for
trucks carrying disaster relief supplies in affected areas.
The permits will be valid on specified routes for seven
days and, if necessary, may be extended.
“I want to make sure that fire victims get back on
their feet as quickly as possible. This innovative strategy
helps cut the bureaucracy – without compromising public safety –
to get vital emergency relief to victims in need,” added
Schwarzenegger in a statement released on the governor’s web
site.
Schwarzenegger also announced cash grants of up to
$10,000 are available to help some individuals who have suffered
losses in the southern California fires. The grants are
administered by the California Department of Social Services as
a supplemental program to FEMA-administered assistance.
The grants help fire survivors with expenses caused as
a direct result of the disaster such as housing, replacing
household items, medical costs and transportation.
In addition, at the request of Schwarzenegger, Pres.
Bush has made Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) available
to those impacted by the fires as part of a major disaster
declaration for several Southern California counties.
While DUA is similar to regular Unemployment Insurance
(UI) in benefit amounts and duration, eligibility is somewhat
different.
Those eligible for DUA include people affected by the
disaster who have a legal right to work in the Unites States;
who are or have been self-employed, or who are unable to
establish a valid regular UI claim; or individuals who have
exhausted their UI claim benefits.
People unable to reach work because of the disaster;
those scheduled to begin work that was terminated because of the
fires; and people physically unable to work because of a
disaster-incurred injury may also be eligible.
The availability of DUA is in addition to other action
taken by Schwarzenegger to assist workers and employers affected
by the fires.
Thanks to an executive order waiving the one-week
waiting period for UI benefits for workers who lost their jobs
in this disaster, those workers will be able to start receiving
those benefits a little faster.
Also in response to the wildfires, which have burned
nearly 700 square miles, destroyed some 1,600 homes and forced
the evacuation of more than 500,000 people, Sempra Energy
announced it has established a $5 million fund to aid its
Southern California customers and impacted local communities.
The relief program, which will be funded by Sempra
Energy and not through utility rates, will be devoted to aiding
people in the service territories of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
and Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) who have
experienced hardships as a result of the fires. The fund will be
expanded with contributions from suppliers, business partners
and employees.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a
$50 million grant, with $16.7 million released initially, to
create as many as 3,125 temporary jobs to aid in efforts
underway in response to the wildfires burning across much of
Southern California.
“The Southern California fires have caused catastrophic
damage, and it is critical that the state receives assistance
immediately,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao in a
statement released on the organization’s Web site. “This $50
million National Emergency Grant will fund over 3,000 temporary
jobs for workers to aid in cleanup and recovery as well as
provide humanitarian assistance to Californians who have
suffered in this ongoing disaster.”
The grant, generously awarded to the California
Employment Development Department, will provide immediate
assistance to the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside,
San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. On October
24, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared
these counties as eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) also announced several
relief measures for the victims of wildfires in seven Southern
California counties.
The FTB will allow victims to receive additional tax
refunds this year by immediately reporting their disaster losses
through amended 2006 returns. In addition, the FTB has
temporarily suspended mailing billing notices in the seven
Southern California counties affected fires.
Affected taxpayers may also claim the disaster loss on
their 2007 tax return that are due to be filed in spring. The
affected counties include Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles,
San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego in the declared
state and federal disaster area.
Tax information regarding the fires will be regularly
updated and posted to the FTB’s
www.ftb.ca.gov.
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