LA County Aid
http://www.santa-clarita.com/cityhall/cmo/press/release.asp?ID=1037
 
LA Times Disaster aid
Fire victims can apply for federal, state and local assistance at the following locations:
Santa Clarita Sports Center Complex Activity Center
20880 Centre Pointe Parkway
Santa Clarita CA 91350

Los Angeles County Castaic Sports Complex
31230 North Castaic Road
Castaic, CA 91384


How to Get Help and Help Fire Victims


LFCU Credit union offers relief program to fire victims


The teleregistration number for fire victims to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) prior to coming to the Center.

 
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced several relief measures for the victims of wildfires in seven Southern California counties.
· The FTB will allow victims to receive additional tax refunds this year by immediately reporting their disaster losses through amended 2006 returns. In addition, the FTB has temporarily suspended mailing billing notices in the seven Southern California counties affected by the wildfires.
Affected taxpayers may also claim the disaster loss on their 2007 tax return that are due to be filed in spring. The affected counties include Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside and San Diego in the declared state and federal disaster area.
Tax information regarding the fires will be regularly updated and posted on www.ftb.ca.gov.


Free Storage Offered to Fire Victims
The Storage Center of Valencia is offering temporary storage use for the Santa Clarita Valley and Agua Dulce fire victims. The center is located at 26407 Bouquet Canyon Road in the Lowe’s Shopping Center. Victims are asked to call Operations Manager Espie Lopez for complete details at 263-1999.


Fire Victims Eligible to Receive Free Financial Advice
Members of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants are offering free disaster recovery financial advice to victims of the Southern California fires. To connect with a CPA volunteer, call toll-free at 1-800-922-5272, ext. 6242. Fire victims and others can also access free disaster recovery information at www.calcpa.org.


First American Title Offers Help to Those Affected by Fire
First American Title Insurance Company announced that it will replace recorded mortgage documents, property tax information, recorded deeds and tax assessor maps at no charge for homeowners who lost their homes in the recent fires in Southern California. First American is also offering a 40 percent discount on title insurance for fire victims securing a new deed of trust or a construction loan on those lost properties.
For more information, call 1-866-748-3924 or visit www.firstamericantitle.com.


Prepare Your home for  Wildfires
As fires continue to scorch thousands of acres in Southern California, it's important to evaluate your own  preparedness in the event a wildfire should approach your home. While some homes are more at risk than others, there are steps everyone  can take to be prepared. Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)  recommends these tips for preparing your home and property against a  wildfire.

Smart  Landscaping - Create a zone around your house that will slow the wildfire down and  possibly direct it around your home.  To create survivable space, take the following steps within 30 feet of your home, at least 50 feet if you live in a  heavily treed area or at least 100 feet if your home is on a  hillside:
·         Introduce more native vegetation.
·         Space trees at least 10 feet apart. 
·         Remove dead or dying trees and shrubs. 
·         Keep trees and shrubs pruned. 
·         Mow your lawn regularly and dispose promptly of cuttings and debris.  
·         Maintain your irrigation system. 
·         Clear your roof, gutters and eaves of debris.  
·         Trim branches so they do not extend over roof or near the chimney. 
·         Move firewood and storage tanks 50 feet away from home and clear areas at  least 10 feet around them. 
·         Store flammable liquids properly. 
·         Do not connect wooden fencing directly to your home. 

Build or retrofit your home with non-flammable materials
·         Use only non-combustible roofing materials.
·         Cover exterior walls with fire resistant materials like stucco, stone, or  brick. (Vinyl siding can melt and is not recommended).  
·         Use double paned or tempered glass for all exterior windows.  
·         Install noncombustible street signs and ensure they are visible from the  street so fire department officials can find you. 

When a  wildfire threatens
·         Become familiar with your community's disaster preparedness plans and create a family plan. Identify escape routes and designate an emergency meeting  place for your family to reunite if you become separated.  
·         Put together an emergency kit. The IBHS offers a _detailed list of items_ (http://ibhs.org/publications/view.asp?cat=81&id=125)   

Review  insurance coverage - Review your homeowner’s insurance policy periodically with your Insurance representative to make sure you have sufficient coverage to rebuild your home after a wildfire or other catastrophe. Report any property damage to your Insurance Company immediately after a natural disaster and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage.
Taking these steps will give your home the greatest chance of surviving a wildfire.

SOME ADVICE FOR PEOPLE  AFFECTED BY THE FIRES
1) No whining…you lost  your house. You need to rebuild your house. Whining won’t drive a nail.

2) Stop crying. Once is  good enough. Get over it and get to work.

3) Do a detailed  inventory…every single fork and spoon you lost. Didn’t take pictures? Check with  relatives. They take pictures when they come. Look in the background of the  pictures to see what’s there. You’ll be surprised the kind of pictures your  family has that can help you remember what was on that shelf in the  background.

4) Fight. Your car  insurance didn’t have "gap," insurance. Fight it. Go to the top. You’ll likely  find that your local insurance person won’t be involved ….they try to remove your  first person contact and bring specialists in. Do
your best to re-involve your  local insurance person. You have a relationship there; demand that it work to  your benefit. Don’t be afraid to be  angry with folks at times. Be demanding. Be aware that the state insurance  commissioner will have an interest in any legitimate insurance complaint…let  your insurance folks know that. The media will be ears up to legitimate stories  of insurance shenanigans. Let folks know you aren’t skittish about bitching to  the media if necessary.

5) Get up early. Lots of main offices are on the east coast and your phone call should be the first one  that makes the dial tone ring. They open at 9amon the east coast; your first call is made at 6:00 AM Santa Clarita  time. 

6) Your insurance company  will give you money for housing while you rebuild. You will have options.  The best option is to ask for funds to buy a dwelling you can put on your property while you rebuild.  Many have in the past
bought a trailer  and lived in it for a year while they re-built.  In hindsight many would have used the  insurance housing money to buy an RV to put on the property. An RV is more  likely to be of value to you after the rebuild.  People end selling a trailer.  Had they purchased an RV they could be  running around the country in that rig now. RV’s come with slide-outs  and has a respectable amount of room.  You may want to opt for a 5th wheel.  That is a rig you pull with your  pick up truck.  In either case the  rig will be of some value to you and your family after the rebuild. Be careful…there will be  demand for temporary housing rigs and everybody knows that you have money…beware  the gouge and use your fire victim status to cut a great deal.

7) Get away for Thanksgiving and maybe even Christmas. Thanksgiving is a good time to visit  friends or the grand kids.  If you  do your job right you’ll be ready for a breather and an escape from the daily  and hourly process of
rebuild. Don’t go before Thanksgiving.  You have too much to do immediately. 

8) Keep your family routine.  And give everybody you love some room to be a pain in the neck.  You’ll be living (most likely) in smaller quarters. Love grows in small  houses…let it flourish and make you stronger. 

9) Keep notes on  everything in a three ring binder. Every call (the date, time and name of  the person you talked to).  Keep a  tickler file so that you call back on the exact hour for follow up.  Get names.  You want to deal with
the same person the  second time that you talked to the first time.  Don’t let them give you a generic phone number with a generic respondent. If you talked to Betty Jones at Ford Motor Credit. You want to talk to Betty Jones the
next time  too.

10) Make copies of every  check you get from anybody.  And  every check you write.

11) Keep every single  receipt.  Even for a cup of coffee.  That’s part of your "living  expenses," claim.  Your insurance  company wins if you can’t detail expenses.  And your company will want you to account  for every dime they
give you.  Be in  a position to do so…it isn’t hard…just requires  discipline.

12) Don’t be too proud to  visit a donor center.  You need a  pillow.  You need tooth brushes.  You need underwear and socks.  Stuff will come from all over the  country…it is for you.  Take what  you need and only what you need but take it.

13) Bid everything.  Especially if you opt to be the  owner-contractor on your rebuild.  Get three estimates on everything.  Your insurance company will like this  too.  Get contractors license  numbers and check them on the internet
to ensure they are valid.  Shortly we’ll publish a list of  contractors you might consider ….that we know are  reputable.

14) Keep paying your  mortgage.  Yea, you ain’t got no  home no mo but you still owe the bank.  The guys with the black curly mustache  will foreclose on you if you don’t pay. 

15) Don’t pay for stuff  you don’t have to pay for.  There  are organizations that may clear your property for you. Conservation Corps may come and shore up your land against erosion from the coming winter rains.  The county may take burnt up vehicles off  your property.  Conservation kids  may shore up your hillside.  Government ain’t a whole lot of use but when those services are available don’t pay for  them.

16) You will need storage.  Rented a couple of those big metal  containers that can be dropped on the property.  You may want to rent a storage shed.  This because as you go along you’ll  go shopping.  You need everything  for your new home and you will come across stuff that the wife really wants  (that sofa with the SW design on it) and at a great price.  Buy it and store it. Plus, while you don’t have  squat right now, you’re gonna start accumulating
stuff. Your temporary home  likely won’t have room for the Christmas stuff that you’ll buy for this  Christmas.  Relatives will send you  a new pots and pans set etc.  You  will need storage.

17) Keep records.  Your insurance company is going to help  you and so is the IRS.  Believe it  or not you will be able to make a variety of IRS claims that are significant  over a period of several years after the fire and even
after you are in your new  home.  Know about those deductions.  They are  significant.

18) Seems obvious, but  have a cell phone.  Can’t hurt for  the entire family to be wireless.  It’ll be a while before you can run phone  lines into your temporary home and you’ll want to be able to deal with fire  related calls any
time and all the time.

19) Have an employer who  understands the time it requires to rebuild and knows that you need time to do  stuff, like renew a permit, deal with a county inspector, meet with an insurance  agent etc.  Keep working but let the  boss
know that you’ll be doing more "flex time," than usual.  

20) Animals.  They all adjust.  Cats take a little longer.  Keep things closed up so they can’t  escape. When you get back on the property they will be fine again. Keep their  routine and they’ll be fine.

21) Take pictures of your  burnt property on day one.  You will want independent evidence of damage and loss.  Plus they’ll give you inspiration as you rebuild and see where you’ve come from in the process.  Take too many.  And
take pictures of each other…you have  to begin a new family album. Take pictures of the  rebuild at every stage.  For  progress sake but also as evidence if necessary of faulty construction etc.  You’ll want these after you’ve  moved in anyway.

22) An outdoor grill  helps.  Kitchens in trailers, Rvs and 5th wheels can be confined.  Toss a hunk of meat on the Barbie; close the lid and its supper. Do a lot of  cooking outdoors.

23) If you didn’t salvage  your computer buy a lap top.  You’ll  need email, the internet and the resources of the World Wide Web.  And it will complement your three-ring binder to help you keep track of details.

24) Attend the meetings  that may be held in your fire area.  You may not need to sign up for  assistance but these sessions put you in touch with fellow fire victims so you  can swap stories and learn from each other about 
resources.



Feel free to contact us with any questions.