How to resolve AdBlock issue? Most of the meeting, which ran over an hour, was devoted to discussing aspects of the Cache fire response and efforts to transition into recovery.
The 83-acre fire began on Aug. 18 in the area of Sixth Avenue at Cache Street, burning 56 homes and 81 outbuildings.
City Manager Alan Flora said the fire’s emergency shelter at the senior and community center on Bowers Avenue closed on Thursday.
All of those taking shelter at the facility — where evacuees were moved on Aug. 21 — have been moved to temporary accommodations, which Flora described as a “patchwork” of options.
He said North Coast Opportunities, or NCO, has been instrumental in placing people in a variety of programs, some of them short-term.
Flora said it’s been unexpectedly difficult to track everyone down and figure out what their needs are, and he said he believed they had 25 people — or, later in the meeting, clarified that 25 units including multiple family members — are in need of short-term housing.
While the city declared an emergency and the Board of Supervisors ratified local and health emergencies declared by the sheriff and Public Health officer, respectively, Flora said the state of California has yet to declare a disaster, although it has done so for other larger incidents. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for federal assistance for other incidents was approved by President Joe Biden.
Congressman John Garamendi and Mike Thompson have both sent letters to Newsom asking that the Cache fire be added into the state declaration and the request for federal assistance. Flora said he doesn’t know if it’s going to happen or not because of the incident’s smaller footprint.
However, he pointed out that the Cache fire’s damage was very concentrated. In addition to the structures destroyed, 158 vehicles were burned, which is more than were burned in the 2,200-acre Sulphur fire that burned in the city in October 2017, Flora said.
Flora said the city has submitted an initial damage assessment that is being reviewed by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, which has had a team in the city over the last few days.
Currently, the city is estimating the impact to private property and cleanup efforts and the city response will cost $14.5 million, of which $11 million is in cleanup and recovery costs. “That’s excluding the private property damage,” Flora said, noting the estimate will continue to be refined.
The state is looking at the damage estimate and will forward it up the chain, where it will be determined if it will be added to the state’s larger disaster declaration. In the meantime, Flora said the city will continue to be the squeaky wheel.
Cleanup work and challenges with water systems
Flora said the city barricaded some areas to keep it off limits to nonproperty owners, and the state conducted a household hazardous waste cleanup this week — removing batteries and fuel tanks. The cleanup was completed with the exception of one structure on a property north of Dam Road that was determined to be unsafe to occupy; the property will be cleared once the structure is taken down.
Flora said there also are challenges with water systems in the area.
The water system for the Cache Creek Mobile Home Park, which lost three homes and had one damaged, was destroyed and the Konocti County Water District installed a water connection last week. But Flora said it isn’t a long-term solution.
Flora said he found out on Wednesday that Creekside Mobile Home Park, where much of the damage occurred, also had its water line to the Lower Lake County Water Works district damaged. He said the district said it’s up to the property owner to repair, with the estimated cost in the range of a couple hundred thousand dollars. The property owner said he doesn’t have the money.
In the meantime, four mobile homes that were not damaged in that park could be occupied if they have water, and some are being lived in now, Flora said. He said Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has installed generators and temporary power there.
Flora said the city needs to make a decision about water supply as it may have to red-tag the homes, although they don’t want to displace more people.
He said it’s been frustrating, with more effort needed to resolve the situation both on the part of the water district and the property owner. Flora has spoken to the Konocti County Water District and that district is willing to try to help out.
The city also has sent portable toilets to the park and is taking out extra water left over from the evacuation shelter. Flora said the city will bring up the situation to state Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry to see if they can offer additional resources.
What’s getting more important every day, Flora said, is Environmental Health has determined there are toxic materials throughout the fire area, with a lot of ash and fire debris in Cache Creek currently.
“Presumably we have some rain coming sometime soon,” he said.
Cal OES has sent the California Conservation Corps out to install some mitigations, like wattles. A state water board representative was in Clearlake on Thursday to conduct planning, and the city has given the state room to store materials at its corporation yard, Flora said.
Councilman Russ Cremer asked if Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, which has the chief water rights to Clear Lake, is offering help.
“They’re certainly aware of it. No one is anxious to offer any help thus far, unfortunately,” Flora said.
Flora said the city was trying to estimate the cost to protect the watershed from debris in the case of a rain event. Without a state emergency declaration, he said it could cost $3 million, and they’re not seeing much sign of insurance from the property owner.
Working on options for housing, other assistance
The next priority is the overall private property cleanup and rebuilding effort, Flora said.
“Again, that’s going to be a challenge, because the vast majority of folks were not insured. So unless there is state and federal assistance, it’s going to be very difficult to see significant cleanup,” he said.
The council also added an emergency item on Thursday approving an agreement with NCO for short-term housing for Cache fire survivors.
“We have indications that there will be some level of state assistance for short-term housing assistance, whether we get a state declaration or not,” said Flora.
He said Cal OES has some philanthropic connections and will be able to piece some things together.
Fire survivors have been getting some short-term assistance — some for up to five days — that Flora said is going to run out.
He recommended the city use $100,000 from its low and moderate income housing fund, which should provide about 30 days worth of housing for those who need it. That is meant to help bridge the gap until other options can be put together.
Flora said NCO is interested in helping to administer this program and in working with the city on more permanent medium- and long-term housing options.
The council voted unanimously to approve the agreement with NCO.
Cremer reported during the meeting that the Lake Area Rotary Club Association has so far raised $39,000 for Cache fire recovery and is working on allocating $30,000 in gift cards for survivors.
Also on Thursday, the council discussed the state redistricting process and making a request to be kept together with the rest of Lake County — the county is currently split — as well as Napa and Sonoma counties, and presented a proclamation declaring September 2021 as Senior Center Month.
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