Scorched wine country gets cleared, but rebuilding is slow
Sonoma offering lessons for new wildfire victims
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – As fires still rage in Southern California, those affected by the devastation who wonder howtheir communitieswill fare in the aftermath need only come to this city north of San Francisco for a hint of things to come
Earlier this week, there were eight excavators at work in the Coffey Park neighborhood, clearing fire debris and scraping the top layer of ash and soil away to remove any potentially toxic materials.
“They’ve been working so hard. I was here on a Sunday in the rain, and they were working,” said Lilia Gonzalez, who brought doughnuts to the workers who cleared her lot.
In Santa Rosa, the county seat of Sonoma County, her subdivision was hardest- hit, losing 1,300 homes after the fire broke out Oct. 9. It was one of several fires touched off by fierce winds that state fire officials are now calling the Northern California firestorm. By the time all were extinguished three weeks later, seven counties were affected, 42 people dead and 9,000 buildings destroyed.
Nearly 400 miles south in Ventura, county seat of Ventura County, some 427 homes and other structures have been lost, part of the 921 structures claimed by the Thomas Fire so far. Two people, including one firefighter, have died.
The National Weather Service is predicting high winds over the weekend that could push the flames toward Santa Barbara, potentially putting as many as 20,000 people and 18,000 buildings at risk.
Ten weeks after the embers in the wine country cooled, recovery efforts in SantaRosa provide a look
at what the southern part of the state may face.
In the wine country of Napa and Sonoma counties, some homeowners are finding themselves underinsured and worry they will not be able to afford to rebuild. Even those with sufficient insurance expect it to be two years or more before they can once again reclaim their neighborhoods. Clearing work is well underway. It has been made easier because the Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating removal for all homeowners who agree to the process. The majority of homeowners have signed up, Santa Rosa Vice Mayor Jack Tibbetts said.
“Some of these houses will take up to 20 trucks to remove everything,” Tibbetts said.
Officials hope most lotswill be fully cleared by January.
While they wait, homeowners are meeting with their insurance companies to determine when they can start to rebuild.
Cassie Taaning- Trotter and her husband owned a home in Redwood Valley, north of Santa Rosa.
Last year, the fire insurance rates doubled on their property, so she went shopping for another policy. To her horror, when she began to get quotes on the cost to replace their home, it was double what their insurance payout was.