County assistance to fire victims continues

SAN DIEGO COUNTY – The County of San Diego opened a new center in Bonsall to help with fire recovery Dec. 15. The center is located at the County of San Diego’s Bonsall Road Station at 2370 Pala Road.

Residents can get free sandbags, fiber rolls, seeds and stakes to stabilize burned land before the winter rains arrive. Advisors will be on hand to give advice on structures and for on-site inspections. The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Lilac Fire Local Assistance Center at the Vista Library closed Dec. 19, but the county is continuing to run its [email protected] email and Recovery Assistance Hotline at (858) 495-5200, which will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, people can leave messages, which will be returned within 24 hours.

The Vista library will also continue to offer tables with brochures and information.

The center in Vista opened Dec. 11 to help those impacted by the Lilac fire. Numerous county departments, state agencies and volunteer organizations helped 269 households start their recovery processes at the center which was designed to make starting the recovery process as easy as possible for people.

The library was filled with as many county departments, state departments, volunteer groups and organizations as possible to help people who lost homes, parts of homes, or had to deal with evacuating their properties and animals during the Lilac fire.

Some of the services County departments offered people included information about their homes, properties and permits; connection to crisis counseling; CalFresh (food stamp) cards; first aid; free pet food and help with animals; information about property tax relief; short-term housing referrals; and copies of vital records.

The County’s Department of Planning and Development Services issued 36 permits while the center was open. Thirty-four of those were Emergency Temporary Occupancy Permits, which allow people to put trailers or other temporary living accommodations on their property while they rebuild.

The County’s Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 11 to waive fees for building permits and plan checks for Lilac fire survivors.