The Glass Fire, which burned in the North Bay for just under a month, has left a lasting impact on residents, and the process to rebuild is a tough one.
In Santa Rosa, one of the areas affected by the Glass Fire, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a Mobile Intake Center to provide one-on-one support to survivors and to help them register for disaster assistance.
Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm told KCBS Radio that while Highway 12 is taken care of by Caltrans, the city needs the additional assistance.
"City resources and infrastructure were also impacted, so it does open up that window for us to get reimbursed to help us with our recovery," Schwedhelm said.
The FEMA RV is located at Maria Carrillo high school, just a few short blocks away from where the Glass Fire’s embers blew through weeks ago.
"Beyond registering for assistance, survivors can check the status of their application, get connected to additional programs, and find out their eligibility if they have insurance," Schwedhelm added, encouraging everyone impacted by the Glass fire to register with FEMA.
The Mobile Intake Center will be running through the end of December.
With so many fires recently, Schwedhelm said the process of moving from response to recovery has streamlined dramatically. Santa Rosa lost 35 homes within its city limits. Recently, Santa Rosa held recurring Zoom meetings with survivors to further connect them with local resources.
The Glass Fire started on September 27 and was active for a total of 23 days before being contained on October 20, burning a total of 67,000 acres and damaging 1,500 structures. Fire crews continue to be on the lookout for hotspots, with the cause of the destructive fire still under investigation.