Firestorm 2007 Recovery |
Frequently Asked Questions about the County's Structural Debris Removal Program Updated January 4, 2008 This FAQ is in five sections: 1. Q: What specific actions do property owners have to take to be included? A: To participate, unincorporated area property owners with
burned debris from the 2007 Wildfires must complete and send in a
Right of Entry form (ROE). The deadline for submission of the form was February 2, 2008. 2. Q: What if I am a tenant, not a property owner? A: The County will need a Right of Entry form signed by the property owner before we can enter the property. We ask you to also submit a Right of Entry so that you can indicate any special requests you have on the Right of Entry form. If you are a tenant, please indicate that you are not the property owner, and include the owner's name or name of the mobile home park on the form. 3. Q: May I keep any items if I want to? A: Homeowners should remove any personal mementos as soon
as possible to avoid a conflict with the debris removal program.
Large items that owners want left alone should be both noted in the
Right of Entry form, and segregated from the rest of the debris, off
toward the edge of the property, with some clear indication to not
take those items. 4. Q: May I be present during the cleanup? A: For safety reasons, we cannot allow you to be on the site during cleanup. There will be a large sign on your property that will indicate what phase of cleanup is completed, and when County activity is complete. If there is a safe vantage point, you may certainly watch. 5. Q: How will I be notified when my property is going to be cleaned up? A: Schedules, by area, will be posted on a Debris Removal Program Status Web Site. Community leaders are encouraged to print those schedules and post them in their communities. There will be a large sign on your property that will indicate what phase of cleanup is completed, and when County activity is complete. If you need information about timing, or if you have questions during the process, call the Debris Removal Hotline at 1-877-308-8111. 6. Q: Do I have to wait for the debris removal
program to be done before I get a building
permit? 7. Q: How will you decide what areas are cleared first? A: This will depend largely on how quickly Right of Entry forms are turned in by property owners. The County's contractor will be working in multiple communities concurrently. 8. Q: How will property owners be able to identify these workers as legitimate? A: County contractors and County staff will have identification with them. County debris removal contractors and assessors will never ask the property owner for any up-front money. If someone asks you for a deposit, they are not from the County. Also, our crews work only during daylight hours. If someone enters your property at night or if you are suspicious that a crew is not from the County, call the Sheriff's non-emergency phone number at (858) 565-5200. 9. Q: Who, precisely, is doing the clean up? A: The County has contracted with two San Diego-based companies, PRI and RORE, to remove debris. 10. Q: Do I have to remove my debris? A: Yes. The debris presents a health and safety risk. Therefore although participation in the County's program is voluntary, debris removal is mandatory. If you do not remove your structural fire debris, your property will be subject to summary abatement and you will receive a bill for the full cost of the debris removal. 11. Q: Is this just for homes or businesses too? A: This is a voluntary program for all property owners in the unincorporated area. It is specifically for debris from houses and other primary structures. This program will remove fire debris from commercial properties to protect public health and safety, but will not remove foundation slabs. 12. Q: What will you remove? A: Generally, the County will only remove burned
debris from primary structures on the property. This could
include destroyed buildings, vehicles, trailers, boats, chimneys,
unstable concrete walls, any household hazardous waste remaining on
the property, electronic waste, and foundations (if the property
owner indicates he/she wants the foundation removed.) 13. Q: What won't you remove? A: Things that are generally not eligible for this program include: damaged trees, agricultural irrigation systems, sidewalks, driveways, swimming pools, underground storage tanks, or items that are not burned debris such as old or wind-damaged items that would ordinarily be your responsibility to dispose of. Ash will not be cleaned or removed from land or vegetation. 14. Q: What about my concrete slab foundation? A: It is up to you whether to ask the County to remove it.
The Right of Entry form includes a place to indicate whether you
want your slab removed, or if you haven’t decided and want to let us
know later. If we remove your slab, we will have to disconnect your
utility service. We will not prepare your utilities for rebuilding.
Any testing or preparation of underground utilities for your
replacement structure will be part of your rebuilding effort. 15. Q: What if I already started cleanup? A: This is an optional program. If you're partially completed, you may be able to stop the work and enroll in the program. We cannot reimburse you for work already completed. You should discuss reimbursement with your insurance carrier for any removal you may have already done. If you prefer, you can continue the removal on your own. There is a set of Health, Safety and Environmental Protection Standards you should follow to protect the safety of those removing the debris and the environment. 16. Q: What is the timeline? A: Household Hazardous Waste removal from burned homes started November 8 and was completed the week of November 18. The County began structural debris removal on November 20. 17. Q: Will this cleanup take place only at homes that were destroyed? A: Both damaged and destroyed homes are eligible, however
damaged homes are more complex and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. There are several factors, including safety, insurance
needs, furnishings removal, etc. that could impact the feasibility
and timing of debris removal from partially destroyed, or damaged
homes. Owners with partial destruction who are interested in the
County program should submit a Right of Entry form, and the County
will contact those owners as part of the debris assessment process.
18. Q: Is this a voluntary program? A: Yes. If you do not want to participate in the County’s program you can use your own contractor at your own expense. Health, Safety and Environmental Standards for debris removal are available for you to supply to your contractor. The standards have been sent to all property owners and are available here. 19. Q: What if I don't want you on my property? A: Under this program, the County will not enter a property to remove burned structural debris unless the property owner has completed and submitted a Right of Entry permit. However, if you do not sign a Right of Entry form or have a private contractor remove your debris, your property will be subject to summary abatement and you will be billed for the full cost of debris removal. 20. Q: What is the cost? A: There is no direct cost to the property owner or tenant, including mobile home owners and tenants, under this program. However, if your property is cleaned by the County under summary abatement, you will receive a bill for the full cost of debris removal. 21. Q: Who is paying for it? A: Funding sources include the County, state and federal
governments, as well as homeowner's insurance coverage that is paid
specifically for debris removal. The same
applies to foundation removal, if the property owner wants the
foundation removed. For insured homeowners, the County will only
collect insurance payments that are specified for debris removal or
foundation slab removal. 22. Q: Will you take my insurance money? A: The County will not collect any insurance that is meant for rebuilding your home. Insurance companies structure insurance policies in a variety of ways, but the County will only collect homeowner's insurance coverage that is meant specifically for debris removal. The same applies to foundation removal, if the property owner wants the foundation removed. 23. Q: How does the payment from the insurance work? A: For insured homeowners, the County is entitled to receive insurance money paid for debris removal within a few days after it is paid to you. The County will only collect from your insurance money the actual cost of debris or foundation removal. If your policy does not pay for debris removal or foundation slab removal, the County will not collect insurance money. 24. Q: What if I don't have enough insurance for debris removal to cover the cost? A: The County's program will absorb any uninsured cost. You will not be charged for debris costs or slab removal costs that exceed your insured amount for debris or slab removal. 25. Q: My policy doesn't refer to debris removal, but covers my losses under a single limit. Will my policy pay anything for debris removal? A: In this situation (which is fairly common) debris removal could still be a part of your covered loss. If an insurer under a single limit policy issues a separate check for debris removal costs, or issues a settlement statement that identifies a portion of a single payment as being for debris removal, the County will treat that as an insurance payment for debris removal, and the rules above will apply. 26. Q: If I receive some money under my policy specifically for debris removal, but I need that money for reconstruction because I am underinsured, what happens? A: If you participate in the County program, you must pay any insurance money you received that is specifically for debris removal to the County, up to the County's actual costs. 27. Q: What does my insurer need to know about my plans for debris removal? A: Regardless of your policy language, you should provide your insurer with information about debris removal. If you arrange debris removal yourself, you should tell your insurer your costs or estimated costs for debris removal. If you use the County program, you should tell your insurer you are using the County program and that you will not be legally obligated to pay for debris removal under that program except to the extent those costs are insured under your policy. In either case, when you know the actual costs for debris removal, regardless of whether you participate in the County program, you should provide that information to your insurer. You should get clearance and approval from your insurance adjuster before debris is removed from your property, whether you conduct the removal with your own contractor or use the County program. 28. Q: What if I don’t have insurance at all? A: If you don't have insurance, the County will remove your debris without any charge. You may receive a copy of a statement showing the County's costs, but you will not receive a bill. 29. Q: The Right of Entry says you can collect up to 25% of my insurance money. Is that right? A: There is a section in the Right of Entry form, 5b, which addresses "Concealed Insurance and Evasive Settlements." Though it is sincerely hoped this does not occur, the language in this section is applicable to people who might attempt to deceive the County after they accept this benefit from the County. The language applies to anyone who hides the fact that they have insurance, which is an illegal activity. This section also applies if your policy provides specific and separate coverage for debris removal, and you give up that coverage in a settlement with your insurance company in order to get more money for other purposes. The County will collect insurance where a policy specifically provides a debris allowance even if the policy holder initially hides the insurance, or bargains away the debris coverage to get a different benefit. The language in 5b is only meant to protect the County's interests in these situations. 30. Q: Is the County giving vouchers for free disposal of debris? A: The County is offering to remove the debris from burned structures, but because the County does not operate landfills, the County is unable to offer free disposal vouchers as part of its program. 31. Q: Can I be reimbursed for expenses already incurred? A: This is a health and safety program intended to help
ensure removal is done properly. If your cleanup is completed, there
is no health or safety risk, and we regret that we cannot reimburse
you. You should discuss reimbursement with your insurance
carrier. 32. Q: Who do I call for more information from the County? A: The County's Debris Removal Hotline is 1-877-308-8111. 33. Q: Are you providing this service only in the unincorporated areas, or are cities included? A: This debris removal program is for the unincorporated areas of the County only. If you live in a city and want information, you can get information from the following Web sites and phone numbers. City of San Diego: http://www.sandiego.gov/
City of Escondido: http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/
City of Poway: http://www.ci.poway.ca.us/ City of San Marcos: http://www.ci.san-marcos.ca.us/ City of Chula Vista: http://www.ci.chula-vista.ca.us/ |