Antelope Valley Press

Personaliz­ed fire relief available

County plans to conduct appointmen­ts with property owners

- By JULIE DRAKE Valley Press Staff Writer

Personaliz­ed assistance is available for homeowners affected by the Bobcat and Lake fires, the Los Angeles County Joint Informatio­n Center announced Wednesday he one-on-one appointmen­ts are for all property owners who have damaged or destroyed property in unincorpor­ated county areas. The personaliz­ed appointmen­ts are intended to help guide homeowners, developers and contractor­s through the permitting process for their fire rebuild, county officials said.

Meetings are held virtually via the free Microsoft Teams app, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple Store.

Appointmen­ts are available in one-hour time slots between 9 a.m. and noon every Tuesday and Thursday through January.

To schedule an appointmen­t, visit https://www. eventbrite. com/ e/ bobcatfire-lake-fire-rebuilding-oneon- one- appointmen­ts- tickets- 1231280342­65? utm_ content=&utm_medium=email& utm_ name=& utm_

.

source= govdeliver­y&utm_term=

For details, contact Hugo Acevedo at 626-632-0074, or via email at hacevedo@pw.lacounty.gov

The Bobcat Fire erupted Sept. 6 in the Angeles National Forest, scorching 115,796 acres and destroying 170 structures, including 87 residences and the Nature Center at the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area.

The fire also nearly burned down the Mt. Wilson Observator­y. It damaged another 47 other structures, including 28 residences, and also took about eight weeks to fully contain. The cause is still under investigat­ion.

The Lake Fire, which broke out Aug. 12 near Lake Hughes, burned 31,089 acres and destroyed or damaged more than 18 structures and 21 out buildings before being 100% contained more than a month later.

In addition, the deadline to register for federal assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency is Dec. 15.

FEMA provides eligible wildfire survivors financial awards to help them pay for needs such as rent, home repair or replacemen­t, medical and dental costs, funeral expenses and other disaster-related expenses, LA County Office of Emergency Management authoritie­s said.

Bobcat Fire survivors can register for FEMA assistance in three ways:

• Online at disasteras­sistance.gov

• Download the FEMA app on a smartphone or tablet.

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) between 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Pacific time. The helpline has specialist­s who speak many different languages.

 ?? ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES ?? A Joshua tree is silhouette­d in front of September’s Bobcat Fire at sunset in Juniper Hills. Homeowners affected by this year’s Bobcat and Lake fires can get assistance from Los Angeles County in taking steps toward recovery.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A Joshua tree is silhouette­d in front of September’s Bobcat Fire at sunset in Juniper Hills. Homeowners affected by this year’s Bobcat and Lake fires can get assistance from Los Angeles County in taking steps toward recovery.

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