The Valley Fire in California

On Sept. 21, 2015, I was notified by FEMA to deploy the next day to the Valley Wildfire in California. Sept. 22 was, of course, Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. But duty calls! I flew in to Sacramento, where FEMA had temporarily set up at the California Office of Emergency Services in nearby Mather.

The next day I was in Lake County, California, where the fire had consumed 76,067 acres and killed four people. The fire was rated as the third-worst fire in California history based on total structures burned.

As FEMA's public information officer in Lake County, I was responsible for getting FEMA's messaging

In the studio of KPFZ-FM in Lake County and on the air every day.

into the media. At first, the message was that county residents affected by the fire should register with FEMA for federal assistance. Because about 1,300 homes were burned, and we had 2,600 register, we did well with that. I was on the radio or quoted in a story in the county's daily newspaper nearly every day.

This story, below in italics, was printed on the front page of the county's daily newspaper and drew accolades throughout FEMA:

FEMA wrapping up existing inspections (Record-Bee)

http://www.record-bee.com/general-news/20151014/fema-wrapping-up-existing-inspections

Oct. 15, 2015, Record-Bee, by Dave Faries

Steven Solomon was absorbed in work when a Lake County man noticed his FEMA shirt, walked up and extended a friendly hand.

Earlier in the day, the man had received a check from the government that will go a long way toward recovery.

“We’re grateful we can help,” said Solomon, an external affairs specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Federal inspectors have been working at a rapid pace since arriving after the presidential disaster declaration. Although time remains for Lake County residents affected by the Valley Fire to register for federal aid, FEMA inspectors will soon wrap up their existing projects.

In front of the county's daily newspaper with its editor, Dave Faries.
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As of Wednesday morning, inspectors had assessed 96 percent of registered claims from both the Valley and Butte fires. At the same time, FEMA approved $7.69 million in funds for recovery.

“A completion rate of 96 percent is indicative of the priority we’ve given this,” Solomon said.

So far, 2,286 Lake County residents have registered for aid through FEMA, which is also a gateway for low interest Small Business Administration disaster loans. This represents a majority of 3,219 claims registered for both fires.

Once inspectors complete the existing registration, FEMA will continue to provide information, inspect new claims and disburse funds.

The agency continues to operate two Disaster Recovery Centers in the county, one in Middletown and another in Clearlake. These offer local residents a place to gain information face to face, ask questions, register for recovery funds and use phones or the internet.

To date, 1,386 Lake County residents have used recovery center services.

This week FEMA also moved to assist with temporary housing needs. The agency moved 60 manufactured housing units to a staging area outside of Sacramento, ready for use in Lake or Calaveras County.

“We are moving forward with that process,” Solomon said.

Manufactured housing units may be offered if no apartments or rental units are available for victims of the fire within a reasonable commuting distance from their workplace. Need, debris removal, functioning utilities and other factors guide the decision to offer manufactured units.

The government considers financial assistance for the rental of a temporary home a first choice.

The fire destroyed most of Cobb, leaving behind ashes and debris.

At first I worked out of a Joint Information Center set up in an events area of a local casino, the Konocti Vista Casino. Later, the JIC was in a small conference room in the county courthouse.  Then FEMA set up an Area Field Office in a vacant office and that's where my office was for most of my deployment.


FEMA set up two Disaster Recovery Centers, one in Middletown and the other in Clearlake. Both were about a 40-minute ride from our office. The rides were even longer earlier in the response, when many roads were only one lane for both directions and utility and emergency vehicles were drive in long caravans at low speeds.
In addition to talking to the media when they visited the DRCs, I also attended meetings of the County Board of Supervisors, the Lakeport City Council, the Middletown Town Hall, the Lake County Valley Fire Recovery Task Force, the Team Lake County Long Term Recovery Group, etc.

Clifton Jones.

Saramani Wells.

I became good friends with the two External Affairs liaisons assigned to Lake County; first Saramani Wells and then Clifton Jones when Saramani demobed. Sara works at FEMA HQ in Washington, D.C., so she knew lots of helpful things. Clifton is a non-practicing attorney and has a razor-sharp wit, so he was great company. I drove them both crazy with my constant whistling, humming, tapping and singing. Even so, they both had lunch with me most every day.

The Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree is 315 feet high!

After an initial schedule with no time off, our hours were reduced to 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. This meant I had time for some exploring. Lake County, though one of California's poorest, is home to Clear Lake. With 100 miles of shoreline it is the state's largest natural lake. It is also known for having more bass than any other lake in the world, so many tournaments are held there in season. I was able to rent a boat and take it out on the lake for about three hours in October, when the weather was still nice. I also drove a ways north to a tourist spot where you can drive your care through a giant Redwood tree.

By the time I demobed, more than 1,500 survivor households had been approved for a total of more than $11.5 million in FEMA grants. FEMA credited me with 88 days deployed.

My final evaluation:
“Steven served DR 4240 CA supporting the needs of External Affairs with clear focus on what would be best for the fire survivors.  He provided all reports as needed, attended and supported community meetings while routinely providing updates to local media in his assigned area.  Media clips prove his program knowledge and sensitivity to survivors (one attached).  Steven developed excellent long-term trust with his professional relationships within the community and specifically with local media contacts as evidenced by a formal thank you letter from the community radio station (attached). His efforts positively reflected on the JFO and assisted the fire survivors.”