- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
VIDEO: Officials offer updates on Valley fire issues – repopulation, crime, health matters
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Officials from around Lake County as well as representatives from Cal Fire shared the latest developments on the Valley fire on Saturday afternoon.
The briefings are taking place at 1 p.m. daily. Saturday's event was held at the Courthouse Museum.
At the start of the video, Sheriff Brian Martin talked with Lake County News about the repopulation effort.
At that point, Middletown was being repopulated. Later in the day, officials announced that Hidden Valley Lake was to be repopulated beginning at noon on Sunday.
Martin said he expects it will be at least a week before Cobb residents can head home.
Martin also discussed the presence of the National Guard, which arrived on Friday evening and will be on scene to assist with patrol and with escorting people to their homes to check on pets and livestock.
Supervisor Rob Brown noted at the event that it had been one week – to the hour – that the fire had broken out and changed so many lives.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith said at that time that the fire had grown to 74,500 acres, an 800-acre growth over Friday.
“That increase in acreage is not based on fire spread,” Smith said, but rather crews on the ground, burning out vegetation between existing fire lines and lines constructed by firefighters. That is meant to make mop up easier and faster.
Martin warned of potential dangers in the fire area, and asked people to use precautions when returning home to their properties.
He said the death toll remained at three, with his agency still following up on missing persons' reports.
The sheriff also noted that arrests of looters were continuing on an almost nightly basis. He called such people “disgusting.” He also warned of the potential for people trying to scam fire victims and the community.
Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait warned about the potential dangers to health from going through debris on burned properties.
She said a disaster distress help line is available to provide crisis counseling for those impacted by the wildfire. The number is 1-800-985-5990.
Tait said a local assistance center has opened at the Middletown Senior Center and a shelter is in place at Twin Pine Casino.
Jodi Traversaro, administrator for the California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region, said the top mission for officials is to make sure that those impacted by the fire can return home safely.
She said it was critical that people adhere to public safety messages and use caution when heading home.
Traversaro said Home Depot has donated 50,000 gloves and masks for people returning home after the fires, and noted there has been a tremendous outpouring of support in the form of in-kind donations.
Those donations are being sorted and will be made available to those impacted by the fire, she said.
The full video can be seen above.
Video by McKenzie Paine for Lake County News.
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