The crowd outside the October 16 MendocinoLakeComplex fire press conference.
MENDOCINO CO., 10/16/17 — One week after the fires began in Redwood Valley and Potter Valley, the Redwood Fire (the Mendocino half of the Mendo Lake Complex) stands at 35,800 acres but is now 55% contained, and people beginning to return to their homes — with all mandatory evacuation orders lifted this afternoon. But with over 200 residences destroyed many will be returning only to find their homes damaged or burned to the ground, and the rebuilding process will take years. On a positive note, Sheriff Tom Allman noted that on Monday that all persons thought missing have been located.
At the county’s administration building in Ukiah today, officials from federal, state and local agencies, including Cal Office of Emergency Services, CalFire, the National Guard, FEMA, North Coast legislators State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood, Mendocino and Lake county supervisors, Sheriff Allman, and other county staff, spoke at a press conference about the plans to help Mendocino County rebuild. We’ve compiled video of the full press conference below, along with additional interviews from Assemblyman Wood, Cal OES Executive Director Mark Ghilarducci, County CEO Carmel Angelo, Supervisor Carre Brown, Yolanda Stokes from the Small Business Association and Office of Disaster Recovery, and Tammy Moss Chandler, who will be coordinating the county’s recovery efforts.
On Tuesday, the county will open a local assistance center at Mendocino College, which is also housing the shelter for evacuees, to provide a one-stop shop to assist people with the recovery. You will be able to find more information about the different resources available at the county’s fire webpage; and individual assistance is available through North Coast Opportunities immediately. You can also register with FEMA on their website, by calling, and through their app; FEMA representatives will be able to help processing applications in person at the local assistance center soon.
There are two upcoming community meetings planned to help coordinate the rebuilding efforts and organize resources: one at the Redwood Valley Grange on October 24, and the next at the Potter Valley firehouse on October 25.
Here’s the videos from the press conference and additional interviews. We had some technical difficulties, so there’s a few different parts, but there’s also lots of useful information — enjoy!
Press conference Part One:
Press Conference Part Two:
Press Conference Part Three:
Interviews with Cal OES Executive Director Mark Ghilarducci and North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood about the recovery efforts:
An interview with First District Supervisor Carre Brown, who’s district includes much of the area impacted by the Redwood fire, and who was herself evacuated:
Interviews about resources for evacuees with CEO Carmel Angelo, Yolanda Stokes from the Small Business Administration/Office of Disaster Assistance, and Tammy Moss Chandler, who will be coordinating the county’s emergency response efforts:
