All 28 properties affected by fire begin permitting for reconstruction
All 28 properties in Mendocino County affected by the Oak Fire and whose owners enrolled in California’s statewide Consolidated Debris Removal Program have cleared the entire debris removal process and been returned to county officials to begin the permitting process for reconstruction.
The return to county officials of the final outstanding property by state debris officials late Tuesday makes Mendocino County the first Bay Area County with every participating property returned as ready for the start of the permitting process.
Properties are returned to officials in their respective county after the abatement of bulk quantities of asbestos containing materials; the removal of burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soils; confirmation by a certified laboratory that soil samples taken from the property meet state health and environmental standards; the implementation of erosion control measures; the removal of hazardous trees; and a final walkthrough by state debris officials to make sure debris removal operations on the property meet the standards of the program.
To date, debris officials have returned an additional 468 properties to officials in five other Bay Area counties as ready to start the permitting process.
State debris officials have returned 226 participating properties have been returned to officials in Napa County. The 226 returned properties represent 70.4 percent of the 321 properties whose owners chose to take part in either the full debris removal program or the program’s hazardous trees only element.
The state also has returned 159 or 65.4 percent, of 243 participating properties in Sonoma County as well as 68, or 89.5 percent, of 76 participating properties in Santa Clara County to local officials.
In addition, state officials have sent back eight, or 26.7 percent of the 30 participating properties in San Mateo County and seven, or 77.8 percent, of the nine participating properties Lake County to officials in their respective counties.
As of July 21, 2021, 2,143, or 47.9 percent, of properties statewide have been returned to their respective county to begin the permitting process.
In 2020, over 8,000 climate-induced wildfires burned 4.2 million acres of California, destroying more than 5,700 homes. Property owners incur no direct costs for participation in the state-managed 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.
Major Clearing Work: 97 Percent Complete
To date, the remains of 2020 wildfire survivors’ homes and property — burned metal, concrete, ash, and contaminated soil — have now been cleared
from 97.7 percent of the properties enrolled in California’s statewide Consolidated Debris Removal Program. Most 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 state-managed program. Of the 5,991 properties with damage from the 2020 fires, 1signed up to have the remains of their homes and other structures cleared by the state.
As of July 21, 2021, statemanaged crews cleared burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from 3,744 of the properties throughout the state participating in the full debris removal program.
In Napa County, crews have removed eligible debris from 309, or 99.4 percent, of the 311 properties taking part in the full program. Crews also have cleared debris from 212, or 99.5 percent, of 213 Sonoma County properties participating in the full program, as well as from all 72 Santa Clara County participating in the full program.
State contractors also have cleared eligible debris from all 28 Mendocino County properties participating in the full program; as well as all 13 San Mateo County and all nine Lake County properties participating in the full program.
Steps left to Complete
Before homeowners can begin rebuilding, cleared properties need additional work including:
-Separate contractors collect soil samples for verification at a state certified laboratory that they meet state environmental health and safety standards.
-Contractors next may install erosion control measures.
-Certified arborists or professional foresters assess wildfire-damaged trees in danger of falling on the public or public infrastructure for removal by separate contractors.
-Finally, state officials inspect the property to verify all completed work meets state standards. Debris officials submit a final inspection report to local officials to approve the property for reconstruction.
Property owners can track the above data on the Debris Operations Dashboard for the 2020 statewide wildfires. The dashboard is updated every hour and provides users with the ability to search by county or address.