Local Assistance Centers to Open in Guerneville and Healdsburg

Residents affected by the Walbridge and Meyers fires can access recovery services and resources at two Local Assistance Centers (LACs) beginning Saturday, Aug. 29.  Both LACs will provide the same resources to residents, including assistance with replacing documents (such as drivers licenses, identification cards and vital records), accessing financial resources, rebuilding information and the insurance claims process. Non-profits will be on-hand to assist with resource coordination but will not be issuing gift cards.

The west county LAC is at the Bank of America in Guerneville (16390 Main St.) and the north county LAC is at the Healdsburg High School gym (1024 Prince St.). Hours on Saturday, August 29, are 1 to 7 p.m. Starting Sunday, August  30, hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through September 4. The LACs may remain open after this date if needed.

With resources shifting to LACs, the Community Point of Distribution (CPODs) for residents re-entering burn areas will close at the end of the day today. Re-entry resources will be available at the LAC locations starting Saturday.

Language access services, including Spanish interpretation, will be available at the LACs. To comply with safety procedures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, all visitors must wear facial coverings and socially distance from others.

Government agencies and non-profit organizations will be available at the LACs in-person and virtually to answer questions, refer residents to recovery resources and take applications to determine eligibility for programs and benefits. Services are open to all residents, regardless of immigration status. The agencies at the LACs will include:

County of Sonoma Departments:

In-Person:

• County Clerk-Recorder will provide support with the assessment calamity claim form, voter registration and vital records. Services will also be available virtually.
• Permit Sonoma will provide information to help property owners understand the permitting process for recovery and rebuilding.
• Environmental Health will provide debris removal information and returning home documents. 

Virtual:  

• Economic Development Board will be available to support local businesses.
• Human Services Department will provide a variety of services including Adult Services, Employment Services and Economic Assistance.   

California State Agencies:

• California Office of Emergency Services
• Department of Motor Vehicles for those needing identification or driver licenses.
• Employment Development Department for assistance with applications for unemployment benefits.

Non Profit and Community Organizations:

• Sonoma County Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) is coordinating non-profit organization participation at the LACs. The COAD is a coalition of non-profit organizations that came together in response to the 2017 Fires and is reactivating to respond to community needs from this disaster. Some of the participating organizations include Catholic Charities, Latino Service Providers, Community Action Partnership Sonoma County and Corazon Healdsburg. The Small Business Development Center will be available virtually.

Federal Agencies:

• FEMA representatives will be available to assist survivors with their FEMA disaster assistance registrations. Survivors can register three ways: visit disasterassistance.gov, download the app to a smartphone or tablet, or contact (800) 621-3362.

A list of participating LAC agencies and other recovery resources will soon be available at SoCoEmergency.org/walbridge-meyers-lac/.