Rotary Business Recovery Grant Program for Recovery from the Rocky, Jerusalem, and Valley Fires of Lake County

To speed the process of recovery, the Lake Area Rotary Club Association created a Fire Relief Grant Fund program available to small businesses affected by the fires of Lake County.

The goal of this grant program is to assist in fire recovery for businesses in the area of the fires with an emphasis on getting store front, agriculture, and home businesses back into operation and preventing them from closing due to losses suffered as a result of the fires. Grants of up to $2,000 per business were made based upon need.

LARCA earmarked $80,000 for this fund and the Middletown Merchants added another $20,000, for a total of $100,000.

To date $89,000 in grants have been distributed to over 45 small businesses in the fire areas. The program has been a success as most of the businesses were not able to get funds from the Small Business Administration, FEMA, or other relief organizations. They all were extremely grateful for the help and vowed to be there for the community, as we all know that small businesses are the lifeblood of a community. 

There are some funds left in the program. If you want to apply, you can complete a grant application online or download a printable application HERE. Completed printable applications should be mailed to:
LARCA Business Grant Program 
P. O. Box 2921
Clearlake, CA 95422

Lake Area Rotary Club Association Fire Relief Fund Helps Double the Size of Afterschool Program in Middletown

Press Release

The Lake Area Rotary Club Association (LARCA) Fire Relief Fund has committed to doubling the capacity of the Afterschool Program in Middletown. The Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) is authorized to serve 29 students in the Minnie Cannon School Afterschool Program. With this donation, the program is now serving 60 students. LARCA committed $12,500 to support this effort.

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Due to the Valley Fire many families have been displaced. The waiting list for the afterschool program rapidly grew to 30 students. Many of these students had no homes to go to and were waiting on campus for working parents to pick them up. Rotary’s financial assistance allows LCOE is to hire an additional staff member to provide students with a supportive safe place to go after school. Lake County Superintendent of Schools, Brock Falkenberg, indicates that, “afterschool programs provide a safe and supportive environment to engage students in supplemental learning activities and receive assistance with homework.”

Brock Falkenberg, Lake County Superintendent of Schools at Minnie Cannon Afterschool Program

Afterschool programs provide a safe nurturing environment for students every school day until 6 PM. Students are given 1 hour each day of academic homework support and they are presented with hands-on activities that are fun and engaging yet also enhance the school curriculum. In addition, the program includes a healthy supper and lively team building physical activities.

With the generous donation from LARCA, LCOE will be able to meet the increased demand for the remainder of the school year. For more information about the Afterschool Program please contact Della Murphy at 707-263-4563x213. For more information about the LARCA Fire Relief Fund please visit www.larca5130.org.

Brock Falkenberg, Superintendent of Schools

1152 South Main Street

Lakeport, CA 95453

707-262-4100

Thank You!

Dear Lake County Supporter:

On behalf of the residents of Lake County and all of us here with the Lake Area Rotary Club Association, I want to offer our sincere thank you for your donation to our Fire Relief Fund. The outpouring of support that our community has seen this summer has been overwhelming and incredibly heartwarming. Your generosity is going to help us rebuild the soul and the structure of our community!

The fires that ripped through Lake County this summer have destroyed an unprecedented number of homes, businesses, and disrupted the lives of many of our residents. The Lake Area Rotary Club Fire Relief Fund is poised, along with several other local non-profits, to lead the way on the recovery and rebuilding process. It’s a monumental task given the magnitude of the destruction but we will prevail! Our committee has been formed and has begun to establish the procedures and protocols for the deployment of the funds as well as identifying, assessing and prioritizing the needs of the fire victims. We have also met with the other local non-profit associations that have received large cash donations and are coordinating our efforts so that the funds are utilized in the highest and best manner. An immediate need that has been identified by our committee, is the impact that the small businesses in the affected area have suffered. The Lake Area Rotary Club Fire Fund is offering grants to those businesses to assist them in rebuilding, re-opening and beginning to serve their communities again. It’s just one of the many projects we will be taking on.

We know that this is going to be a long process of recovery but the residents of Lake County have shown their resilience and, with your help, we will rebuild. We are continuing to receive donations and it has become apparent that we will certainly need them. Thank you again, for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Andy Peterson

Lake Area Rotary Club Association Fire Relief Fund Chair

The Fires

Photo credit, Bob Minenna

The summer of 2015 will not be soon forgotten in Lake County. Along with the rest of Northern California, the county is suffering through the fourth year of a severe drought. We felt somewhat blessed that Clear Lake, the recreational lifeblood of the county has relatively more water than other lakes in the State, due to two large storms last winter. This does not extend to the dry conditions of our surrounding countryside however. 

Much of the rural portion of the county is covered with chemise and buck brush. Those areas in the southeastern part of the county had not had a major fire since the 1960’s, resulting in very heavy fuel loads. With the drought these areas were tinder dry. The mountain areas in the southwestern portion of the county also are suffering from the dry conditions and exacerbated by pine beetle damage to many trees. Conditions were prime for disaster.

ROCKY

On July 29, 2015 disaster first struck. A structure fire was reported at 3:29 P.M. on Rocky Creek Road off of Morgan Valley Road approximately 15 miles east from the town of Lower Lake. Further complicating response was an unstable bridge for heavy fire equipment to cross. By the time units from Lake County Fire and CalFire could reach the property, the fire, driven by high erratic winds, had spread well beyond the original structure. 

The fire spread rapidly through the afternoon and was threatening the eastern outskirts of Lower Lake the second day. Winds also drove the fire to the north and east, eventually reaching State Hwy’s 16 and 20. Winds also drove the fire to the northwest to within two miles of the eastern edge of Clearlake and its 15,000 residents. Major effort by fire fighters and equipment from across the state was expended in protecting both Lower lake and Clearlake. Aided by timely westerly winds, the fire stopped its westward advance. 

It did however make a run north, jumping State Hwy 20 and burning into Double eagle Ranch, a rural residential development and threatening the much larger residential area of Spring Valley. A major weather change finally allowed fire crews to gain 100% containment on August 13, 2015. 
In total, the Rocky Fire burned across 69,438 acres. It destroyed 43 residences, 53 outbuilding and damaged 8 others. Additionally, it caused major damage to power and utility lines along Morgan Valley Road and destroyed many miles of livestock fencing. At the peak, more than 3,200 firefighters battled this fire. Thankfully no lives were lost.

JERUSALEM

While the Rocky Fire was winding down with firefighters being reduced to about 1,200, many doing mitigation work, a fire was reported in a creek bed off Jerusalem Valley Road. This area is located approximately 6 miles southeast of Lower Lake and approximately 2 miles northeast from Hidden Valley Lake, a subdivision with a population of several thousand people. The fire, driven by northeasterly winds, fortunately burned generally to the northeast away from Hidden
Valley. Crews from the Rocky Fire transitioned to this fire. The fire eventually burned into the south line of the Rocky Fire and was 100% contained on August 24, 2015. It burned a total of 25,118 acres. It destroyed 6 residences and 21 outbuildings. Again, thankfully no lives were lost.

VALLEY

After the Jerusalem Fire things began to return to normal in the South County although there was another small fire, 22 acres and one home destroyed, on Jerusalem Grade Road near the ignition point of the Jerusalem Fire. That changed at 1:24 P.M. on September 12, 2015. Gusty high winds were blowing in a southeasterly direction. A small fire was reported on High valley Road, a short street off Bottle Rock Road a couple miles west of the community of Cobb.
A heli-attack crew was dispatched from nearby Boggs CalFire Station. The fire was initially reported at about two acres burning in grass. The four man crew was dropped off down a road from the fire and immediately began to make their way up to the fires location. From this point on things went horribly wrong.

As the crew reached the fire, winds suddenly gusted blowing the fire up into a raging inferno. The crew then tried to reach an open area but were turned back by “a wall of fire”. They were forced to deploy their emergency shelters but still suffered burns on their hands and faces. The helicopter lost sight of the crew in the ensuing heavy smoke and could not drop water to slow the fire. Three nearby CalFire personnel were able to get to them in a pick-up and carry them to safety and evacuation by air ambulance. Thus began the Valley Fire, the third most destructive wildfire in California history.

The fire moved initially in an easterly direction passing on both the north and south sides of Cobb. It moved down State Hwy 175 through Anderson Springs towards Middletown and northerly through Hobergs and the southerly edge of the Loch Lomond area and on towards Siegler Springs. And, it advanced eastward over Boggs Mountain through Harbin Springs and onward toward Hidden Valley Lake. Within 8 hours it had burned through parts of both Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake.

The fire burned so ferociously with such high wind speeds that air tankers could not effectively drop retardant ahead of the wall of fire that advanced down off the mountain. Fire fighters as well as law enforcement first responders concentrated their efforts on evacuating people from the area in front of the advancing fire.

The fire was declared 100% contained on October 6, 2015. At its peak there were 4,200 personnel assigned to the fire. The final total is 76,067 acres burned. The destruction was so wide spread that it took weeks before a reasonably accurate count of the loss of structures could be completed. CalFire’s last published list states that 1,958 structures were destroyed including 1,280 single family residences plus 27 multifamily structures (the County says 70 apartment units), 66 commercial properties and 585 outbuildings. Additionally 41 homes, 7 commercial properties and 45 outbuildings have been damaged. And, sadly, four people lost their life in this fire.

In total, the loss to the folks in these communities of southern Lake County from the three fires has been devastating, almost beyond comprehension. Statistically the acreage burned total was 170,623 acres. To put it into perspective, that represents approximately 20% of the landmass of the entire county. Living units lost were 1,399 and total structures 2,081. Four firefighters were injured and, most tragically, 4 people lost their lives.

Now comes the monumental task of rebuilding, both property and lives. The LARCA Fire Relief Fund has been created by the four Rotary Clubs of Lake County to help with that task. Through your generous donations we have begun that process.

Valley Fire Info

Source via: CalFire

Last Updated: October 5, 2015 6:30 pm  

Date/Time Started: September 12, 2015 1:24 pm   

Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit 

County: Lake, Napa and Sonoma Counties   

Location: southern Lake County  

Acres Burned - Containment: 76,067 acres - 99% contained  

Structures Threatened: 2,953 residential  

Structures Destroyed: 1,958 structures destroyed, 93 structures damaged  

Evacuations: Residents are being allowed back into all communities affected by the Valley Fire.

Evacuation Centers: 
Red Cross Shelters:
Twin Pine Casino, 22223 SR 29 in Middletown.  

Injuries: 4 firefighters injured, 4 civilian fatalities  

Cause: Under Investigation 

Cooperating Agencies: Lake County, Sonoma County, Napa County, California Office of Emergency Services, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CAL TRANS, California State Parks, Bureau of Land Management, CAL FIRE, CHP, Red Cross and PG&E   

Total Fire Personnel: 248  

Total Fire Engines: 15  

Total Fire crews: 10   

Total Helicopters: 3  

Total Dozers: 2   

Conditions: 

Helicopters may be operating over the fire area as part of the mop-up operation. Firefighters continue to improve existing lines and mopping up hot spots across the fire area. Rehabilitation is underway to restore the natural landscape that may have been altered during initial firefighting efforts. Damage Inspection Teams have completed primary and secondary assessments of the structures destroyed by the Valley Fire. A total of 1958 structures have been destroyed including; 1280 homes, 27 multi-family structures, 66 commercial properties, and 585 other minor structures such as outbuildings and sheds. 93 structures have been damaged including; 41 homes, 7 commercial properties, and 45 other minor structures. All traffic restrictions denying access into the community of Cobb and the surrounding areas have been lifted. Some utility services have not been restored. For information regarding utility services, please contact (800) PGE-5000.

With so many structures destroyed, the damage assessment continues. Click here for information on structures destroyed.

*** Damage Assessment teams continue to collect information in the affected fire areas***

If you are interested in signing up to become a volunteer please click here. Currently, the need is met, but you can pre-register if the need arises you already signed up.   

Phone Numbers (707) 967-4207 (Fire Information Line) 

Phone Numbers 1 (888) 565-2787 (Lake County Information Line )