Lake Area Rotary Club Association launches new fire recovery fundraising effort
By ELIZABETH LARSON
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — With a new and immediate need for fire recovery arising due to the Cache fire, the Lake Area Rotary Club Association is restarting its fundraising efforts.
The nonprofit association, known more commonly as LARCA, has relaunched its website, where donations can be made to help with Cache fire recovery.
During the course of several years, beginning in 2015 after the Valley fire, LARCA raised more than $3 million for fire relief, said Clearlake City Councilman Russ Cremer.
Both Cremer and Mayor Dirk Slooten, before they joined the Clearlake City Council, had significant involvement in LARCA’s past fundraising successes.
The funds LARCA raised have helped in a variety of ways, from assisting survivors to improving an after school program in Middletown, supporting an integrated public alert warning system, helping with reforestation efforts, donating to a fire communications tower projectand offering assistance to senior centers facing challenges with COVID-19.
Cremer, working to set up an evacuation shelter at the city of Clearlake’s senior and community center on Saturday night, said LARCA also worked with other groups — such as the Lower Lake Community Action Agency — to make upgrades to the senior center to outfit it for emergencies. That included the shower trailer now housed at the center.
The Cache fire, fully contained at 83 acres, has destroyed and estimated 56 homes and 81 outbuildings.
City officials have reported that among those living in the fire area were some of the community’s poorest members, and that many of them did not have insurance.
So Cremer said LARCA is once again taking up the fundraising standard with its Emergency Relief Fund.
Cremer said 100% of the funds go to providing fire relief. Donations are tax-deductible.
Donations can be made online or checks may be sent to the LARCA Emergency Relief Fund, P.O. Box 2921, Clearlake, CA 95422.
For more information, contact LARCA through its website at https://www.larca5130.org/contact.
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Cache fire fully contained; patrolling, tree work underway
By ELIZABETH LARSON
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — While firefighters have fully contained the Cache fire, fire district and city officials said Sunday that work in the fire’s footprint is still underway to make conditions safer for residents ahead of the lifting of the final evacuation order.
The fire, which began Wednesday afternoon in the area of Sixth Street and Cache Avenue in Clearlake, has burned 83 acres.
Lake County Fire Protection District Board President Jacqueline Snyder said Sunday afternoon that the fire was fully contained.
Snyder said firefighters will still be patrolling and monitoring the fire area over the next several days.
The fire did significant damage to power infrastructure. Snyder said Pacific Gas and Electric has mitigated most of the hazards related to damaged power equipment and has crews conducting work related to trees.
Those tree crews are expected to be on the scene for the next four days, Snyder said.
AT&T was in the fire area on Sunday, removing damaged phone lines. Snyder said the company won’t start phone service restoration until Monday.
City and fire officials issued an update on the situation on Sunday, reporting that a limited repopulation of the fire area was allowed from 5 to 7 p.m. Fire district personnel were there to hand out N95 masks to those going into the evacuation area.
City Manager Alan Flora said the final evacuation order, for zone CLE-E157-A, will be lifted at 8 a.m. Monday.
That zone covers everything in the city of Clearlake to the south of 18th Avenue and east of Highway 53 except for Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital.
The Red Cross and the city of Clearlake opened a temporary evacuation shelter on Saturday evening at the Clearlake Senior Community Center, located at 3245 Bowers Ave.
Showering, restroom facilities, a place to stay for humans and pets, and a limited supply of drinking water are available at the shelter.
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
City of Clearlake issues update on Cache fire repopulation
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The city of Clearlake on Sunday gave an update on plans for repopulating the Cache fire area.
City Manager Alan Flora said limited access to the evacuated area, zone CLE-E157-A will be provided to residents Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Flora said this will facilitate some repopulation of homes not damaged or destroyed by the fire, including those residents living east of Cache Creek Mobile Home Park on Dam Road.
Absent further developments, the evacuation order for zone CLE-E157-A will be lifted on Monday at 8 a.m., Flora said.
Following the lifting of the evacuation order, Flora said a new emergency directive will go into effect restricting access within certain areas of the footprint of the fire that sustained significant damage. This order will restrict non-resident access to certain parcels and closes certain streets to traffic.
There are many hazardous substances present amongst the burned debris that may constitute a serious risk to health and safety, the city said.
All persons entering the area are encouraged to use extreme caution and those with medical conditions that could be exacerbated by the hazards should avoid the area. Residents surveying damage, particularly within the areas with total structure loss, should wear a particulate mask and gloves and avoid ground disturbances that could make the ash go airborne.
For a return to home checklist and more safety information, visit https://www.readyforwildfire.org/post-wildfire/returning-home/.
The city is actively working with county and state partners regarding initial hazardous waste cleanup. Those requested resources are anticipated to become available this week.
Additional information will be provided in the coming days, officials said.
For those residents who will be returning to the Cache Creek Mobile Home Estates, the water system was severely impacted and there is no water service.
A temporary water connection is being established but is not expected to be completed until Tuesday. If you chose to re-populate with the lifting of the evacuation order, plan accordingly for the lack of water in the coming days, officials said.
Showering, restroom facilities, and a limited supply of drinking water are available at the temporary evacuation shelter at the Clearlake Senior Community Center, located at 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake.
While a significant amount of work has been completed with respect to removing burned/dangerous trees, repairing electrical and other utility infrastructure, there is more work that will be completed in the coming days. Please drive with caution and be mindful of the utility workers.
Additionally, there will be a presence of firefighters in the area monitoring for hotspots.
The city of Clearlake and the Lake County Fire Protection District said they appreciate the cooperation and support of the Clearlake community in this trying time. Officials said they will continue to update community members on the recovery status.
Cache fire survivors recount losses, share gratitude for being alive
By ELIZABETH LARSON
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — On Saturday night, a small group of people hard hit by the Cache fire were taking refuge at a newly opened evacuation shelter in Clearlake and voicing their gratitude at being alive in the midst of having lost their homes.
Clearlake city officials worked with the Red Cross to set up the shelter at the city’s senior and community center at 3245 Bowers Ave.
The center — equipped with solar power, a large commercial kitchen and a shower trailer with four bathroom stalls — also had an area set up outside for pets. There were several small dogs on leashes and in kennels.
The evacuation shelter had previously been located at Kelseyville High School and Twin Pine Casino in Middletown.
Earlier in the day, in a development that had caught the city of Clearlake off guard, the county of Lake decided to abruptly close the shelter in Middletown, citing small numbers of evacuees.
Evacuee Christina Thomas said they were told Saturday afternoon they were leaving the casino.
By Saturday evening, a Lake Transit bus that had apparently helped transport some evacuees was in the parking lot behind the building and more evacuees were arriving by their own vehicles, packed with what belongings they had left.
As the shelter setup was complete, a bright, smoky-orange sun set behind Mount Konocti, which was soon followed by a bright orange full moon that rose over the hills.
As shelter guests got their bearings, some took the opportunity for the first time in days to get a hot shower before settling in for the night.
Shelter officials said they were set up for 20 evacuees, with about 16 registered.
After several days of exhaustion and confusion, even with the lights on and shelter workers moving around the building to finish setup, some evacuees were on their cots, fast asleep amid the bustle.
Tucked off in the corner, sitting on his cot next to a window in the main room was Gust Jordan, who gave a friendly wave.
He was wearing a large wooden rosary around his neck, a Red Cross blanket next to him, and bags of snacks and Red Cross supply bags on the floor next to his bed. The beds arranged nearby were for several of his family members.
Jordan, who formerly worked in agriculture in Tulare County, moved to Clearlake a year ago. He was living with wife, Christina, one of their daughters and her husband and three grandchildren in a trailer in Creekside Mobile Home Park. Also living nearby were several members of their extended family.
Christina Jordan said that, altogether, her family lost five homes — including the one she and Gust shared, one belonging to her parents, and three others belong to aunts and uncles.
Her aunt, Christina Thomas, who lived in Creekside for 10 years, was the only one whose home survived.
At first, they weren’t sure if they should leave because of the fire. “We did this so many times,” Gust Jordan said of previous fires, noting this felt like another situation of crying wolf.
However, shortly after the fire started, it became apparent that they needed to leave.
Christina Jordan said the fire moved very fast. “It was so windy,” she said, noting her uncle told her they needed to leave.
Gust Jordan said his wife grabbed a box of important papers as they prepared to leave. In their quick departure, they didn’t take his medications or other important items.
The residents were all in a hurry to get out of the park. “Everybody was jumping in their cars,” said Thomas.
Police escorted them out. “They were not asking,” but telling them to leave, Gust Jordan said.
By the time they were leaving, the fire had jumped the road, he said.
They and other family members did what many other evacuees did — they went to the nearby Walmart to wait and see what was happening.
Asked how long they’ll have to stay at the shelter, he said, “I have no idea.”
The Jordans said their daughter and her family were staying in a hotel, rather than the shelter.
Christina Jordan’s parents, Richard and Yolanda Maldonado, also were staying at the shelter on Saturday.
Richard Maldonado said their home was destroyed, and he’s now seeking help with finding housing from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He served in the US Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959.
The Maldonados had lived at Creekside Mobile Home Park for the last two years, and had also lived there previously. Richard Maldonado said they had been evacuated in 2015 due to that year’s fires.
He said they had to evacuate within 20 minutes of the Cache fire starting.
That wasn’t an easy task, as Richard Maldonado currently has to use a wheelchair.
The Maldonados also went to Walmart to wait to see what was going to happen. They were there about an hour to an hour and a half before they were directed to Kelseyville High School, where an evacuation shelter was set up shortly after the fire began.
They and their other family members stayed there until they were told to move to Twin Pine Casino in Middletown on Thursday. Gust Jordan said he lost $40 at the casino. However, he happily recalled a visit from Pastor Aaron York of Jesus Christ Fellowship.
By Saturday afternoon, they were told they were to move again, family members said.
On Saturday night, none of the family members had an idea of how long they would have to stay at the shelter.
In addition to the uncertainty, there is also the emotional toll.
“I don’t think I got any feelings yet,” Richard Maldonado said of the situation, adding he was glad everyone got out alive.
Thomas said that since her home still stands, she intends to share it with her family. “That’ll work.”
“We’re alive,” Christina Jordan said. “That’s all that matters.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lake Area Rotary Club Association announces $40,000 donation to senior centers
via Lake County News
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake Area Rotary Club Association, which in recent years has been a key fundraising organization to assist in Lake County’s fire recovery, said Wednesday that it’s changing its mission to help with emergency relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s starting off with a major donation to local senior centers.
The association, also known as LARCA, said its Fire Relief Fund is changing its focus and will become the LARCA COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
As such, LARCA is donating $40,000 to the four senior centers in Lake County to help with the loss of income from their thrift stores and the increase in demand for home-delivered meals through the Meals on Wheels program.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lake County’s senior center were serving approximately 500 Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors daily, in addition to several hundred more who dined at one of the four senior centers in Lake County.
With the closing of the centers’ dining rooms, daily home deliveries increased to approximately 800 the week of March 16th following state, county and city “shelter in place” mandates.
The Meals on Wheels program is expected to increase an additional 25 percent during the beginning of week two and ultimately could more than double over the coming weeks.
Senior centers exist on limited funding from the Area Agency on Aging and individual fundraising efforts. With the senior centers being closed due to COVID-19, these fundraising efforts have all but ceased while costs are increasing exponentially.
Since its inception in 2015, LARCA has raised more than $3,000,000 for fire relief efforts.
Through the volunteerism and support of our Rotary Clubs, LARCA’s members pride themselves on maintaining the funds with zero overhead. This means every penny donated has gone to relief efforts.
The LARCA COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund is now accepting donations to help seniors, our most vulnerable population, as well as small businesses to survive this unprecedented pandemic.
Donations can easily be made online or via mail-in check. LARCA is a 501(c)3 organization.
For online donations go to www.LARCA5130.org, or send your checks to LARCA, P.O. Box 2921, Clearlake, CA 95422.
The Lake Area Rotary Club Association thanks you in advance for your generous donations in helping our local seniors.