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This page will be updated with relevant disaster recovery information and offers of assistance. Refresh your browser to ensure you are reading the latest version. LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2
LATEST SITUATION REPORTS
- FEMA daily sitrep
- CNN special report
DISASTER DECLARATION AND RELATED INFORMATION
Joint California/FEMA unified recovery commitment
FEMA press release, published verbatim:
Even as local, state and federal firefighters continue their efforts to fully contain and extinguish the remaining fires, the State and Federal governments are working cooperatively to formulate and implement a joint recovery strategy to address the immediate and long-term needs of individuals, businesses and communities. This recovery strategy will require the same level of cooperation, determination, innovation, creativity and persistence that has characterized the joint response effort. In order to ensure the recovery effort achieves its objective most effectively and efficiently, the State of California and FEMA have committed to address each and every challenge confronted during the recovery period by collaborating effectively and efficiently.
FEMA and the State of California will partner in establishing a Unified Recovery Strategy. The strategy will serve as the overarching plan that guides an aggressive recovery approach to the many challenges associated with individual and community recovery from a disaster of this magnitude. This strategy is intended to bring together Federal, State, local and tribal governments, volunteer organizations, the private sector and individuals to ensure that essential services are provided and that recovery challenges are addressed.
Key elements of this strategy include:
* A State-Federal Housing Task Force that will support local governments by identifying short- and long-term housing options and actions that can be taken to help displaced residents find transitional housing quickly
* A State-Federal Debris Management Task Force that will help local governments expedite the safe, thorough and timely removal of disaster-related debris.
* A State-Federal Multi-Agency Support Group to support local governments in addressing, in an environmentally sensitive manner, flooding, erosion and debris flow concerns.
* A State-Federal Tribal Task Force to help affected tribes in Southern
California locate supplemental resources, including Public Assistance and Individual Assistance, for tribal jurisdictions.
In addition to these task forces, which have been formed to aggressively engage on returning life to normal for Southern California residents, the State of California and FEMA are committed to open and transparent communications in the examination of authorities, capabilities and capacities in resolving these and other issues.
- President declares major disaster for California Wildfires
- Federal aid programs for California disaster recovery
- FEMA further information page
- Atlanta-based FEMA team heads to San Diego to support Federal response to California wildfires
INCIDENT ANALYSIS
California wildfires could cost insurers up to $1.6 billion: RMS
The Southern California wildfires are likely to cost insurers between $900 million and $1.6 billion, making them among the most expensive in the region’s history, according to analysis by Risk Management Solutions (RMS). Of the 23 fires, the Witch Fire in San Diego has caused the most property damage so far and is likely to result in insured losses of $600 million to $1 billion.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Free breathing masks available to S. Californians
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has announced the availability of free breathing masks for Southern Californians to use while cleaning up ash around their home or business. The masks, donated by Cardinal Health and delivered free of charge by UPS, will be available at any of the nine local assistance centers that were announced by Governor Schwarzenegger last week. State and public health officials recommend that anyone cleaning up ash from around their home or spending time in ash-covered areas wear at a minimum a well-fitted paper mask or bandana to protect their nose and mouth. Keeping skin covered by wearing long sleeves, full length pants and gloves is also recommended. Special protections such as N95 or P100 respirators are recommended to help protect the lungs from ash and soot if spending long periods of time sifting through a site. Individuals with pre-existing heart and lung conditions should seek advice from their physician regarding use of special protections.
Chubb provides businesses with wildfire recovery tips
To help Southern California businesses affected by the recent wildfires, the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has again made available the guide ‘Tips for Resuming Business in the Wake of a Disaster.’
"Many Southern California businesses are struggling to resume their business operations following the wildfires, and we hope these tips that Chubb prepared for its commercial customers can help put them on the road to recovery," said Gary Petrosino, senior vice president and Western Zone manager for Chubb.
Business owners know that their first priority is protecting their employees. Once the area around their facility is stable, they should secure the building to limit future loss and inspect it thoroughly before anyone re-enters.
- Employees should have access only to those areas that are well-
illuminated and free of debris, dust and water.
- Make sure the electrical systems, computers and computer cables and
telecommunications equipment do not expose anyone to electrical
hazards.
- Check water supplies for contamination. Consider that even the
slightest contact with contaminated water may lead to illness.
- Make sure all hazardous materials are safely contained. Using an
existing inventory list should enable you to quickly account for all
materials.
- Investigate the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems
before energizing and pressurizing them. Clean, examine and test safety devices and controls on all equipment.
The complete document is available online at www.chubb.com/businesses/cci/chubb1073.pdf
Websense warns of online California fire scams
Websense has announced that its security research team has discovered suspicious online scams designed by criminals to steal money from those donating to the California fire effort. Websense urges consumers to take steps to ensure that donations are reaching the intended recipients, and to notify officials of suspicious Web sites. Websense offers tips to those donating online:
- Ensure you are dealing with legitimate organizations.
- Contact these organizations on your own: go directly to their Web site rather than clicking on a link in an email sent to you.
- Remember that legitimate organizations will not aggressively approach people for money and donations.
- Be mindful of groups reporting to be affiliated with legitimate organizations asking for donations or requesting you to visit their Web site. They may be fraudulent or hosting malicious code designed to steal information such as banking details.
- Be wary of online auctions that claim to support the donation effort.
To report suspicious Internet sites and e-mails to the government and for additional protection tips visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at
http://www.ic3.gov or the Federal government's consumer information center at http://www.consumer.gov/Tech.htm
California wildfires - the hidden dangers & actions you can take
Toxic substances, such as asbestos, lead, and PCBs, can become airborne particulates when structures containing the substances burn. Particulates in the smoke plumes from the California Wildfires can harm the health and property of people in the affected areas.
Toxic substances in the smoke plumes ultimately come to rest on personal property, on the inside and outside of structures and the land surrounding the structures. The contamination in these areas is potentially dangerous to humans and animals.
When inhaled or ingested these toxic materials can cause serious health problems that may not show up for many years after exposure.
Contact your local Health Department, the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society for more information.
These substances also can contaminate, corrode or otherwise damage structures and surrounding landscaping.
It is important to protect yourself, those you care for and your property from the harmful effects of these hidden dangers.
Take precautions when the smoke is visible and have your property tested and properly detoxified when the fires are out. Returning to contaminated properties can be dangerous.
Due to the high probability that the majority of property in the area of the fires' smoke plumes has been contaminated to some extent, it is important to call your insurer, tell them the situation, and make a claim to have your insurer do the testing necessary to determine the fact and extent of any contamination - and what needs to be done to fix the damage and eliminate the dangers.
Your policy or another's policy may provide coverage. If you don't notify your insurer promptly you may be stuck with the costs of all necessary testing, remediation and repair.
Restoration Industry Association warns on the importance of PPE use
The Restoration Industry Association wants property owners to be aware that falling debris from unstable areas in the home and burn residues that may contain lead, asbestos or other contaminants, as well as electrical hazards from downed lines are among the problems that can be encountered after fire damage. Before entering the property, the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) is important.
"One of the major problems after 9-11 were the respiratory issues that occurred due to poor PPE," said the RIA. "For anyone working inside these structures, wearing the appropriate protective gear is imperative."
Gloves, goggles and boots and in some cases, respirators, are among the items that individuals should have on before entering the damaged building.
More information on what to wear, how to work with insurance companies and how to locate a certified fire restoration specialist can be found at http://www.restorationindustry.org
DISASTER RECOVERY ASSISTANCE AND OFFERS OF HELP
Forval International Reaches out to small businesses impacted by southern California wildfires with free ElipServices offer
Forval International, Inc., the provider of ElipServices managed IT services for small- and mid-size businesses, has announced a free offer and donation campaign where, effective immediately, Forval is offering ElipServices, its award-winning disaster recovery, data storage and remote backup service, free for one year to those directly impacted by the Southern California fire storm. ElipServices is a suite of technology services designed for small businesses. The automatic nightly remote backup service will protect these businesses from future disasters like the one they just experienced. ElipServices also includes a file server, wireless router, firewall, VPN, and other services all managed for the business, allowing them to concentrate on rebuilding their business and not worry about their IT problems. As equipment is an included component of ElipServices, there is no cost for hardware associated with this offer. It is the firm's objective to provide a jump start for those small businesses impacted by this large scale disaster. In addition, Forval will donate 5 percent of all ElipServices gross receipts collected starting today, through year end, to a designated fire relief fund. Forval's managed IT service is an important component to a disaster recovery plan. If you are a business impacted by the wildfires please contact Forval by phone: +1 (877) 354-7835, or by email: sales@forvalint.com. For more details on this offer please refer to www.elipservices.com/firerelief
NovaStor provides free offsite storage to California fire victims
In response to the current state of emergency, NovaStor, a provider of software solutions for data availability and protection, has announced that effective immediately, it will be offering small businesses and residents of Southern California free offsite storage for their critical electronic data. Storage will be offered free of charge for the duration of the fire season for all types of files. Southern California small businesses can visit www.novastor.com and select the special link to sign up for NovaStor's online backup service.
Support numbers for Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company customers affected by wildfires
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company has set up dedicated phone lines to make it easier for customers affected by the wildfires in southern California to get support from the company.
Customers can call Colonial's service centers toll free at these numbers:
Policyholders: (800) 325-4368
Plan administrators: (800) 256-7004
Brokers: (866) 531-2022
FSCC provides disaster recovery assistance during Southern California fires
Officials at Financial Service Centers Cooperative, Inc. (FSCC), the nation's largest shared branch network with over 3,000 in-network locations, are reaching out to credit unions affected by the Southern California fires regardless of whether or not they are on a shared branching network. FSCC has implemented the Emergency Shared Branching (ESB) program, which provides all credit unions and their members a method to complete deposits and withdrawals at FSCC shared branch locations. The ESB program was developed during the floods in Louisiana two years ago. FSCC is waiving the set up charge for the program. As long as the credit unions agree to the terms of its use, FSCC is not requiring credit unions to sign on to full-blown shared branching. http://www.fscc.com
State farm mobilizes to respond to Southern California Fires
In response to the fires raging across Southern California, State Farm has mobilized its company resources to assist in the recovery effort. State Farm, the largest homeowners insurance carrier in California and the nation, has dispatched its claims force and are on site in the affected areas and are available to customers to begin the claim process. State Farm policyholders, whose home or car has been damaged, should contact their State Farm agent; or call 1-800-SF CLAIM to reach State Farm catastrophe operators.
Verizon Keeps Southern California wildfire evacuees connected with free call-forwarding
Verizon customers who have evacuated their homes because of the Malibu wildfire can add call forwarding to their account at no charge as part of the company's efforts to help those in need cope with the disaster. Verizon customers who have been forced to evacuate, can opt - at no charge - to have their telephone calls automatically forwarded to a working phone number at another location where they are staying, or to a wireless number. Customers will not be billed the one-time set-up fees or monthly charges for call-forwarding, although customers will be responsible for any toll charges on forwarded calls and wireless airtime charges.
US Airways waives change fees for customers affected by Southern California Fires
US Airways is relaxing certain fees for customers who may have to change travel plans as a result of the Southern California wildfires. The airline is offering revised policies, which apply to all customers flying October 22nd through October 26th on any U-S Airways or U-S Airways codeshare flight to or from the following airports in Southern California: Santa Barbara, Burbank, Los Angeles International, Long Beach, Ontario, Santa Ana/Orange County, Carlsbad and San Diego. Customers are strongly encouraged to check flight status at usairways.com or by calling 800-428-4322 before arriving at the airport and to allow plenty of driving time to the airport.
LESSONS LEARNED
Wildfire expert says fire storms inevitable without new policy; action needed now
wildfire expert Doctor Reese Halter says that fire storms like the ones now engulfing Southern California forests are inevitable without new policies to address the central problem: a dangerous cocktail of historic drought, global warming and millions of bark-beetle killed trees. Doctor Halter is president and co-founder of Global Forest Science. Only months ago Doctor Halter publicly cited new research indicating Southern California has reached unprecedented levels of vulnerability to major forest fires given drought conditions that haven't been seen in the state for 130 years. With 16 million people in the Los Angeles basin surrounded by mountain forests and a million beetle-killed trees as kindling, residents of Los Angeles are facing imminent risk to their properties, families and themselves.
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•Date: 25th October 2007• Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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