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From : Lila Hayes
Sent : December 09, 2005
Subject : OFRG update

 

 Old Fire Recovery Group Email Newsletter

 
Information compiled by
Lila Hayes, Coordinator
Old Fire Recovery Group
www.oldfirerecoverygroup.org
909-266-1459 vm/fax
 
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Index
 1. Give a gift to people of 2005 hurricane ravaged area 
 2. Rick and Sharon Cords Open House THIS SUNDAY
 
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In The News
 1. Old Fire deserves own documentary, 12/02/2005 SB Sun
 2. Millions for Cedar Glen OK'd, 12/06/05 SB Sun 
 3.  Cedar Glen Wildfire Recovery Gets $10-Million County Boost, December 7, 2005, LA Times
 4. Cedar Glen loan deserves an answer, 12/04/05, SB Sun
 5. Emergency-readiness summit, 12/03/05, SB Sun Staff Writer 
 6. Danger zone, 11/25/2005 SB Sun
 7. Old Fire documentary, The Sun
 8. THE NEW DEAL: On Their Own in Battered New Orleans, December 4, 2005, LA Times
 9. New Homeowners Rolling the Dice on State's Rivers, November 20, 2005, LA Times
 10. U.S. Plan Urged for Coverage of Catastrophes, November 16, 2005, LA Times
 
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On The Web
 1. What to do after an earthquake and a preparedness checklist
 
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1. Give a gift to people of 2005 hurricane ravaged area 
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When I was on Target's website, I noticed that the Salvation Army had a "wish list" area.  Anyone can buy something on the list and it will be sent to the appropriate geographical area to be distributed by the Salvation Army. 
 
I remember right after our fire, I emailed Target asking about creating a personal registry, but they said they didn't have anything like that so I just created a wedding registry which had "Charlotte Crandall" in both the bride and groom area.  It worked out well when friends and family were wanting to help, but didn't know how.  Now we can give back!
 
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_iw_l_7/602-6434872-1564644?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=16067381
 
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2. Rick and Sharon Cords Open House THIS SUNDAY
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Rick and Sharon Cords are the first to invite us all to their open house.  Here's the info
We are having our "New House Celebration" and are inviting all the Old Fire Recovery Group to come and see it ... it is an Open House-style get together for friends, family and all those who have helped us get home again.  We would love to see you, your Mom and any of the other people that would like to come.  All we ask is that people call before November 23 (see phone number below) to let us know they are coming.  
 
Hope to see you there!!!   Rick, Sharon and Josh Cords
 
WHO: Rick, Sharon, and Josh Cords
PLACE: 2293 Willow Dr., San Bernardino CA 92404
DATE: Sunday, Dec 11, 2005
TIME: Between 1 PM and 5 PM
DRESS: Laid-back and comfy
RSVP: 909-863-9987
          or email scords@adelphia.net
 
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In The News
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1. Old Fire deserves own documentary
Our view: One exists chronicling Panorama Fire, but there is none for worst fire in county's history.
12/02/2005 SB Sun

Those who fought the Panorama Fire a quarter century ago are still amazed by its intensity. Even as they know it's a terror that will rise again.
On its anniversary on Thanksgiving Day last month, locals still remembered the shock and awe of the monster that roared out of the foothills into north San Bernardino on Nov. 24, 1980, taking four lives and burning more than 300 homes.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3273883
 
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2. Millions for Cedar Glen OK'd
$10 million to go for redevelopment
SB Sun Staff Writer 
12/06/05 

More than two years after being ravaged by the Old Fire, the small mountain community of Cedar Glen should see some progress toward rebuilding after the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $10 million loan to kick-start restoration efforts.
"I hope you understand the importance this loan means to this community," said Coral Grimwood, who lost two homes when the Old Fire roared up Hook Creek Road, destroying more than 300 homes in that one area in October 2003.
 
[more HERE[
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3285145
 
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3.  Cedar Glen Wildfire Recovery Gets $10-Million County Boost
By Ashley Powers, LA Times Staff Writer
December 7, 2005

At a time when residents in Cedar Glen, a mountain community devastated by the 2003 wildfires, are growing frustrated with sluggish efforts to rebuild, San Bernardino County supervisors approved a $10-million loan for paving roads, upgrading water service and aiding businesses.
 
The 4-0 vote Tuesday came after delays and an attempt to slash funding to $2.4 million.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cedarglen7dec07,1,438158.story
 
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4. Cedar Glen loan deserves an answer
To rebuild or not? OUR VIEW: Residents waiting to see whether they can start over should be given more consideration.
12/04/05 SB Sun

More than two years after Cedar Glen residents were burned out of their homes in the Old Fire, the county Board of Supervisors continues to hem and haw over a $10 million redevelopment loan that would pay for the improvements needed before the community can rebuild.

Residents have been reluctant to try their luck again, with a water system that is broken down and roads that are impossibly narrow. To address the situation, a disaster redevelopment area was created last year that would allow property taxes to be used for public-works projects, housing assistance and economic development.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3278138

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5. Emergency-readiness summit
FEMA asks if SB County is prepared
Joe Nelson, SB Sun Staff Writer 
12/03/05

Earthquakes. Fires. Floods.

Residents of San Bernardino County probably already know how vulnerable the area is to all three.
 
The magnitude 7.3 Landers temblor in 1992, the Old Fire in October 2003 and the subsequent flooding two months later on Dec. 25 that killed 16 people proved it.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3274008

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6. Danger zone
Disputed project gets supes' OK Our view: Supervisors seem to think nothing of approving yet more homes for fire-prone areas.
11/25/2005 SB Sun
Worried mountain residents turned out en masse last week for the Board of Supervisors' consideration of the largest housing project since the Old Fire burned through the area two years ago.
The community's dismay at the prospect of crowding yet more homes next to an area almost incinerated by the biggest fire in the county's history seemed hardly to register with supervisors, who, as usual, appear more intent on pleasing developers than appeasing safety concerns.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3252774
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7. Old Fire documentary
[letter written to The Sun from TOM TOMKINS, Vice president and general manager, Charter Communications]
We applaud and agree with the Dec. 3 editorial "Old Fire deserves own documentary." In fact, Charter Communications stands ready to further this cause by offering the full support of its in-house production team.
 
We start by offering our own documentary, "After the Firestorm," as an excellent beginning. This hour-long program was created in the aftermath of the wildfires and showcases not only the devastation of the fires, but also the countless acts of heroism and effective response from our area police, sheriffs deputies and firefighters.
 
[more HERE ... scroll to bottom of page]
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3292025
 
A link to a description of the film and it's award can be found HERE (scroll down to find it)
http://www.ctpaa.org/2005_beacon_winner_summaries_community.shtml
 
The video can be purchased for $10 or the DVD for $15 (+$2 S/H) HERE or:
http://heartsandlives.org/oldfirevideo.html
 
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8. THE NEW DEAL: On Their Own in Battered New Orleans
What Bush said would be one of the largest public reconstruction efforts ever is becoming a private affair, leaving the tough choices to residents as their risks increase.
December 4, 2005 
By Peter G. Gosselin, LA Times Staff Writer

Laurie Vignaud faces a double dilemma: If she rebuilds her wrecked ranch house at 1249 Granada Drive in the great suburban expanse south of Lake Pontchartrain, will her neighbors do the same? And even if they do, will that guarantee their Gentilly neighborhood does not end up an isolated pocket in a diminished, post-Katrina New Orleans?
 
Nothing in Vignaud's 46 years, not even her job as affordable housing vice president with Hibernia Bank, the region's biggest financial institution, prepared her for this problem. From her relocated offices in Houston, she recently confessed, "It's scary."
 
[more HERE]
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-orleansrisk4dec04,1,3627898.story
 
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9. New Homeowners Rolling the Dice on State's Rivers
Officials say old Central Valley levees could fail, causing heavy flooding. The governor replaced outspoken regulators.
November 20, 2005
By Tim Reiterman and Virginia Ellis, LA Times Staff Writers

LATHROP, Calif. — On one side, the murky San Joaquin River slides past a tree-shaded bank. On the other, the red clock tower of the newly erected City Hall rises among hundreds of tract homes under construction.
 
All that separates the river from its new neighbors in the Mossdale Landing subdivision is a weedy earthen levee that sprang leaks in the state's 1997 floods, blanketing the area with water. Despite repairs, government officials say residents stand a 1 in 4 chance of new flooding in the next 30 years.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-levees20nov20,1,7164140.story 
 
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10. U.S. Plan Urged for Coverage of Catastrophes
CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST: Proponents say a federally backed insurance fund is needed to deal with a major earthquake or another Hurricane Katrina.
November 16, 2005
By Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer
 

BURLINGAME, Calif. — Supporters of a national catastrophe insurance plan have a sales pitch for taxpayers who don't live in a hurricane zone or on an earthquake fault: It could happen to you.
 
State regulators, insurance executives and industry experts gathered in the Bay Area for a two-day conference were nearly unanimous Tuesday in their belief that a nationwide, federally backed insurance fund was needed to give homeowners and businesses the ability to rebuild after a catastrophic earthquake, a major terrorist attack or another Hurricane Katrina.
 
[more HERE]
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-catinsure16nov16,1,4462324.story
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On The Web
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1. What to do after an earthquake and a preparedness checklist
http://www.pe.com/quake/after.html
 
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Old Fire Recovery Group
www.oldfirerecoverygroup.org
909-266-1459 vm/fax