More than 1/3 of properties in debris removal returned in county

More than onethird of the properties in Tulare County damaged by the Sequoia Complex enrolled in the statewide Consolidated Debris Removal Program have cleared the entire debris removal process and been returned to county officials for the start of the permitting and rebuilding process.

The 79 returned properties represent 34 percent of the 233 properties in the county participating in either the full debris removal program or only the hazard tree removal program.

In addition, state debris officials have returned 259, or 94.2 percent, of the 275 participating properties in Fresno County. Earlier debris officials returned all 24 participating properties in Madera County.

To date, 2,773, or 61.7 percent, of 4,497 properties statewide participating in either the full or hazardous trees only removal programs have been returned to to begin the permitting process.

In 2020, more than 8,000 climate-induced wildfires burned 4.2 million acres in the state, destroying more than 5,700 homes. Property owners absorb no direct cost in participation in the statemanaged clean up and recovery program, administered by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (Calrecycle) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) in collaboration with 25 participating counties.

To date, the remains of 2020 wildfire survivors’ homes and property -- burned metal, concrete, ash, and contaminated soil — have now been cleared from 99 percent of the properties enrolled in the statewide Consolidated Debris Removal Program. Many properties still need critical soil testing, erosion control, and hazard tree removal to ensure the lots are safe for families to rebuild.

Wildfire survivors had the option to either use their own contractor or enroll in the statemanaged program. Of the 5,991 properties with damage from the 2020 fires, 3,833 signed up to have the remains of their homes and other structures cleared by the state. An additional664 signed up to only have hazardous trees removed from their properties.

To date, state-managed crews cleared burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from 3,793 of the properties throughout the state participating in the full debris removal program.

Earlier, state crews completed the removal of eligible debris from all 268 properties in Fresno County, all 140 properties in Tulare County and all 24 properties in Madera County taking part in the full program.

Before homeowners can begin rebuilding, cleared properties need additional work including collection of soil samples to verify they meet environmental health and safety standards and after that erosion control measures can be installed; certified arborists or professional foresters assessing wildfire-damaged trees that could pose a danger for removal; and finally state inspection.

Debris officials submit a final inspection report to local officials to approve the property for reconstruction.

Property owners can track data on the Debris Operations Dashboard for the 2020 statewide wildfires: https://wildfirerecovery.caloes.ca.gov/current-incidents/augustseptember-2020-fires/debris-operationsdashboard/ The dashboard is updated every hour and provides users with the ability to search by county or address.