Fire Survivors Offer Advice to Local Homeowners

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

A Community Fire Response Panel, hosted by Kehillat Israel, took place via Zoom on Tuesday night, January 14, and featured panelists who lost their homes in previous fires, city officials who have been through the process and fire recovery experts.

Moderated by KI Executive Director Adam Simon, the 90-minute discussion was headed by After the Fire USA CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson, and featured a Q&A where panelists addressed common questions and concerns. The panelists included Reina Romeroy (lost her home in the Marshall fire in Colorado and builds virtual communities), Reva Feldman (lived in Sunset Mesa previously and worked for the city of Malibu), Brad Sherwood (Tubbs fire survivor and assistant general manager at Sonoma County Water Agency), Dr. Adrienne Heinz (clinical research psychologist at the National Center for PTSD and Standford University), Valerie Brown (state officer who works at disaster recovery centers) and Chris Smith (emergency management professional in Asheville, North Carolina).

Q: We lost everything but a photo or two. Everything is toxic, and we are aching to get in and find small items to keep close. The longer we wait, how will we get those things to make sure they’re not taken?

A: Each jurisdiction is different in their debris cleanup process. They’ll check your driver’s license to verify you live on that street before you’re allowed back into your neighborhood.

Red Cross is a resource with debris cleanup kits. Get a box, get a good sifter, necessary gloves and masks.

Go to your local resource centers and ask your local officials what their debris cleanup schedule is, particularly with the environmental cleanup—they won’t allow anyone back until they get that stage done.

The first thing that they have to do is look for people who have passed away. Then the EPA will clean up all the batteries and the toxic chemicals.

It’s important that you use PPE, you’ll be able to fit before it’s scraped. It’s fully your choice if you want to do that.

Q: Do you anticipate a coordinated cleanup by the city or FEMA?

A: You’re going to learn a lot about things you never wanted to know about throughout this process. The city of Los Angeles coordinating with the county and the Governor’s Office of Community Services will determine the best way to proceed with debris removal.

After the Woolsey fire in 2018, the county and state took the lead, but in the Tubbs fire in 2017, it was the Army Corps of Engineers.

Property owners will be asked to provide a right of entry form where you’re allowing them to go onto your property and do a HAZMAT where they remove anything that could be toxic. That’s tagged and goes to a specific landfill.

The second part is all of the rest of the material, and they do it block by block. Once that is done the lead agency makes a determination to remove foundations.

There’s an option for owners to not have the government clean the property for them. In those cases there are forms you’ll have to sign.

The chances of you keeping your foundations are slim to none because this is two to three times hotter than a house fire, but you can often keep your retaining wall.

The right of entry doesn’t mean you’re giving your property to FEMA. The county supervisor should be setting up a neighborhood by neighborhood block captain program. It’s a game changer.

Q: How important is the role of the community in the recovery process?

A: Community is everything. This is a shared, collective trauma, and through each other we heal.

Sometimes after traumatic events our instinct is to avoid people, places and things, to retract and retreat, but we should do the opposite. We should lean on one another because when you feel alone that’s when it gets scary. Isolation is poison, the medicine is each other.

Consider going to a rebuilt community and see for yourself what it looks like, because that’ll give you hope that you can do it too.

Nightmares are common after traumatic events. Sleep, social support, exercise, music, storytelling and being in nature are guardrails against grief. 

Q: How could a large city like Los Angeles not be prepared with adequate water based on history, especially since the high winds were forecasted?

A: There’s no good answer when you’ve got thousands of homes going down at once.

Water facilities are regulated to have a certain amount of water in storage. There’s just not enough storage to respond to a megafire, especially when you have water tanks, generators, valves that are catching on fire and busted water meters.

Mitigation programs are in place through FEMA, every water agency has pre-hazard mitigation plans. Hydrants are built for a house fire, maybe a little more than that, not 90 mile-per-hour winds and ember casts.

Are utilities ready for megafires? Obviously not. It’s a lesson to be learned moving forward.

Q: We were rejected from FEMA because we were told our insurance disqualifies us from FEMA support. Can this process be appealed?

A: This is one of the early challenges homeowners with insurance will face. So, the order of operations is: 1. File a claim with your insurance company as promptly as you possibly can. 2. Apply to FEMA.

If you’re insured and the adjustment hasn’t occurred yet FEMA will provide you with a response to your initial application saying you’re not eligible for assistance at this time. Likely any assistance, but there could be other assistance you might be availed to. The bottom line is that letter will come.

In March FEMA streamlined its appeals process. It used to be that you’d have to write a letter, now it’s simply uploading information into your account or going to a disaster recovery center and they’ll put it into the system to be looked at. 3. Your appeal is stating you have additional information and you’re asking for reconsideration. It’s not a perfect process but it’s what’s in place and there are no restrictions on how many times you can appeal.

One new addition is FEMA’s ability to provide funding to disaster survivors who are underinsured up to the amount of the federal cap, which just changed to $42,500. Being underinsured is quite common so don’t be totally discouraged.

Q: How do we reach officials to find out about debris cleanup?

A: It depends on who your local jurisdiction uses for debris cleanup. Then you wait until you get that email giving you a date when they’re coming to clean up your lot.

You can be there—and should be there—to monitor every step of the rebuild. If you go private, there are debris cleanup companies, but don’t do it alone and check your debris cleanup policy.

The Disaster Recovery Center is your one-stop shop for resources and connections for fire survivors. There are two open in LA County right now—one at Pico and Westwood and one at Pasadena City College Community Education Center. They’re open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you need to contact agencies like the DMV or social security, they’ll be there.

In Pacific Palisades, you’re represented by Lindsey Horvath in the Third District and her staff will be there. United Policyholders is a national nonprofit that will help you navigate the process of insurance claims and they’ll be there also.

Q: Will officials be going through our homes and the ashes before we have access to our property? Should I put a construction fence around my lot to keep out squatters?

A: The environmental reviews will look for asbestos based on your build date. They have a chart they follow to clear everything through the EPA. As for fences, it’s advisable not to do that as it can hamper operations.

If you’ve got a pool be sure the water is removed properly via a tank, not down the sewer and not drained on other landowners since it’s contaminated. Fences around pools are standard and can be a permit requirement in some areas.

It’s also a good idea to invest in a shed or something to put chairs in and prevent things from getting stolen. Game cameras are a useful tool to keep an eye on your property if you’re not there.

Q: Can you explain what is involved in preparing a home site so we are able to begin the construction process? 

A: As soon as you get clearance for debris removal, construction can begin … the permitting process at least. Through your county supervisor make sure that your city or county sets up a resiliency permitting process. Make sure they expedite your permitting and lower the cost of your permits. That’s the most important step of your rebuild.

As soon as you find a quality builder, you get your permits in and your utilities are all up and running, you’re good to go. If you organize with your neighborhood, you’ll recover faster and may even save some money.

However, don’t try to jump the line by paying your contractor more than you’re legally able to because that’s how you lose your money over and over. A contractor who’ll break the law for you will do it for others, and people have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars with no rebuild.

Q: What is the lead agency for this event?

A: Your first touch point is the local jurisdiction. So in Pacific Palisades, that’s the city of Los Angeles. If you live in an unincorporated area, the county would be your local government.

Q: For homes that are still standing, what are short- and long-term health effects once the house is clean and soil and water have been tested?

A: If you have asthma or breathing problems be mindful that the air in our community is toxic. If or when you’re near the burn zone, you should consider wearing a respirator over even an N95 mask.

Wear rubber boots and other protective clothing, and make sure the property is properly cleaned. Change your air conditioner filters and consider using air quality sensors.

Q: How does scraping and checking for property work for multi-family dwellings like apartments or condos? 

A: It depends. If your insurance policy is walls in, you’re going to have limited coverage since you’re only responsible for finishes and fixtures, and that’ll pair with your association’s policy. If that master policy covers the infrastructure, it’s going to delay the process.

First, read your policy thoroughly, get a copy of your HOA’s master policy to see what the board will do.