CAL FIRE’s Returning Veterans: Enlisting Their Skills for CAL FIRE Service (R.V.E.T.S.) Program assists veterans, service members, and their families with integration and transition into service with the Department.

For information on how to navigate the State of California civil service system and the benefits afforded to those who have served and/or are serving in the U.S. Armed Services, you can visit the Department’s R.V.E.T.S. page or contact the R.V.E.T.S. Hotline.


Web pages

• Home - http://www.fire.ca.gov/
• R.V.E.T.S. -  https://www.fire.ca.gov/about/programs/rvets
  

Partnership HealthPlan of California contracts with the State to administer Medi-Cal benefits through local care providers. Find their Medi-Cal Provider Directory online.

Web pages

• Home - https://www.partnershiphp.org/Pages/PHC.aspx
• Medi-Cal provider directory -https://www.partnershiphp.org/Providers/Medi-Cal/Pages/Provider-Directory.aspx
• Emergency resources [info may be out of date on some things...check other sources or call Partnership to confirm] - https://www.partnershiphp.org/About/Pages/Emergency-Resources.aspx
  

The US Forest Service provides info about cleanup of flame retardants and other fire suppression chemicals. See document at the following link.

Web pages

• Wildland Fire Retardant Clean-Up Hints - https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3851595.pdf

Learn how to file a claim with PG&E by visiting this webpage.

If you just want to submit a complaint, see info here.

If you are a residential customer who has gone without power for at least 48 hours because of severe storm conditions, you may qualify for an automatic payment under PG&E's Safety Net program. This program provides a payment of $25 - $100, which PG&E pays automatically about 60 days following the storm outage.

Web pages

• File A Claim - https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/customer-service/help/claims/claims.page
• Submit A Complaint - https://pgesupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360054835371-How-can-I-submit-a-complaint-#:~:text=For%20all%20other%20complaints%2C%20contact,%2D800%2D743%2D5000.
• Safety Net Program - https://www.pge.com/en/outages-and-safety/outage-preparedness-and-support/general-outage-resources/outage-compensation-programs.html
  
  
  
  
  

The Disaster Assistance Improvement Program (DAIP) provides disaster survivors with information, support, services, and a means to access and apply for disaster assistance through joint data-sharing efforts between federal, tribal, state, local, and private sector partners.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), acts as the managing partner.

DAIP launched a website called DisasterAssistance.gov. The site allows you to:

• Find disaster assistance that meets your personal needs.
• Learn about more than 70 forms of assistance from 17 federal agencies.
• Find a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) near you.
• Get help with housing.
• Find programs to help with food and nutrition needs.
• Change the address for your Social Security, VA, or other federal benefits.
• Learn about Small Business Administration (SBA) loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses.

The site also provides resources to help you learn how to prepare for, respond to, and recov…

[read more]

United Policyholders (UP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for consumers of all types of insurance in all 50 states.

UP's work is divided into three programs:

• Roadmap to Recovery provides tools and resources for solving insurance problems after an accident, loss, illness, or other adverse event. For example, the program provides free, trustworthy help navigating the process of returning to a wildfire damaged area, repairing and replacing damaged and destroyed property, and collecting all available insurance funds.
• Roadmap to Preparedness promotes disaster preparedness and insurance literacy through outreach and education in partnership with civic, faith based, business, and other non-profit associations.
• Advocacy and Action advances pro-consumer laws and public policy related to insurance matters.
  
  

Web pages

• Home - https://uphelp.org/
• Roadmap to Recovery - https://uphelp.org/recovery/
• Roadmap to Pre…

[read more]

Through Project Porchlight, Money Management International offers post-disaster financial recovery counseling and personalized assistance for families and individuals living in a county where a federal or state-declared disaster has occurred.

Services are free or low cost.

Services are available in English, Español, and interpretation service is available for other languages.

Other MMI financial counseling and educational services, include:

• debt and budget counseling
• student loan counseling
• foreclosure counseling
• bankruptcy education and certification programs
• organizational financial wellness programs

Web pages

• Disaster Recovery Counseling (financial) - https://www.moneymanagement.org/disaster-recovery
• Project Porchlight - https://www.clearpoint.org/porchlight/
• About MMI - https://www.moneymanagement.org/about/history
• Contact info for different programs - https://www.moneymanagement.org/

MMI merged with Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions in 2016… [read more]

The American Bar Association has a hotline and links to other resources for California Wildfires.

• Hotline: 415-575-3120
  
  

Web pages

• Home - https://www.americanbar.org/
• FEMA California Wildfires - https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4610
• FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers - https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator
• National Disaster Legal Aid Resource Center - https://www.disasterlegalaid.org/
• DisasterAssistance.gov - https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
• Attorneys can help on the ABA/Paladin National Disaster Pro Bono Portal - https://aba.joinpaladin.com/aba-disaster-relief/

The National Disaster Distress Helpline is a multilingual, confidential helpline that offers crisis support services available to all U.S. disaster survivors or responders, 24/7, 365 days a year.

To connect with a trained crisis counselor:

• Call 1-800-985-5990
• Text TalkWithUs to 66746
• For Spanish speaking callers, call 1-800-985-5990 and dial 2 for 24/7 bilingual support.

Crisis counselors provide:

• Crisis counseling for people in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
  • Examples include: fires, storms, floods, earthquakes, droughts, disease outbreaks, or incidents of mass violence
• Information on how to recognize distress and its effects on individuals and families. 
  • Note: stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster.
• Tips for healthy coping.
• Referrals to local crisis call centers for additional follow-up care and support.

For more information, including access for Spanish speakers and anyone who is d… [read more]

This information can help with emergency preparedness. In addition to web links below, the National Weather Service Sacramento office can be reached 24/7 at 916-979-3051.


Fire

The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings & Fire Weather Watches to alert fire departments of the onset, or possible onset, of critical weather and dry conditions that could lead to rapid or dramatic increases in wildfire activity.

• A Red Flag Warning is issued for weather events which may result in extreme fire behavior that will occur within 24 hours.
• A Fire Weather Watch is issued when weather conditions could exist in the next 12-72 hours.

A Red Flag Warning is the highest alert. During these times extreme caution is urged by all residents, because a simple spark can cause a major wildfire. A Fire Weather Watch is one level below a Red Flag Warning, but fire danger is still high.

Conditions that can cause a Red Flag Warning or a Fire Weather Watch include:

• Strong winds
• Hgh temperatures
• Low humi…

[read more]