Assemblyman Brian Dahle

1st Assembly District

Table of Contents:

A.Fire Summary

B.When should you return home?

C.Communication Tools

D.Counseling and Mental Health Support

E.Debris and Ash Removal

F.Drinking Water Safety

G.Electricity and Gas

H.Insurance Coverage

I.Lost Documents

J.Medical Care

K.Medication

L.Pet Relocation

M.Tax Relief

N.Small Business Assistance

O.Unemployment Assistance

P.Contributing

 

A.Fire Summary

B.When Should you return Home?

C.Communication Tools

  • For accurate information about Carr Fire evacuations, shelters, and victim assistance, call 211 NorCal. You can also text your zip code to 898-211. http://211norcal.org/shasta/disaster-response/resources/
  • Be sure to register your cell phone for emergency notifications at www.shascom911.com.
    • If you lose your password, please contact Code Red to have the profile deleted so you can re-register at 866-939-0911. You do not need to register a landline, as they are already registered in the system for Reverse 911.

D. Counseling and Mental Health Support

  • If you are experiencing distress during this difficult time, please reach out for help.
  • Contact the Shasta County CARE Center at (530) 691-4446 or stop by their office at 1401 Gold Street in Redding, California for help.
  • Call 1-800-985-5990 to speak with a trained crisis counselor.
  • Or text TALKWITHUS to 66746

E.Debris and Ash Removal

  • Authorities in Shasta County have warned the public not to remove debris or ash from homes or burn sites.
  • There are many hazardous materials present at these sites such as ash, soot, and fire decomposition products that may cause irritation or other health effects.
    • Fire ash contains fine particles which can be inhaled deeply into lungs and may aggravate asthma and make it difficult to breath. If the ash contains asbestos, nickel, arsenic or cadmium, then exposure can cause cancer.
  • It is best to be cautious when entering an area with fire ash. Follow these tips:
    • Avoid direct contact with ash by wearing protective gear like gloves, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants to avoid skin contact. Goggles are recommended.
    • Change your shoes and clothing prior to leaving the site to avoid tracking ash offsite.
    • If you get ash on your skin, in your eyes, or in your mouth, wash it off as soon as you can.
    • Masks:
      • When exposure to dust or ash cannot be avoided, use a well-fitted NIOSH certified air-purifying respirator mask, such as you can obtain at a hardware store.
      • A mask rated N-95 is much more effective than simpler dust or surgical masks in blocking particles from ash.
      • Although smaller sized masks may appear to fit a child’s face, none of the manufacturers recommend their use in children.
      •  If your child is in an area that warrants wearing a mask, you should remove them to an environment with cleaner air.
      • Persons with heart or lung disease should consult their physician before using a mask during post-fire cleanup.
    • Cleanup:
      •  Avoid disturbing or sifting through the ash as much as possible.
      • Do not engage in activities that kick up ash particles and associated chemicals into the air.
      • Gently sweep indoor and outdoor hard surfaces followed by wet mopping.
      • A damp cloth or wet mop may be used on lightly dusted areas.
      • When wetting down ash, use as little water as possible.
    • Vacuum:
      • Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-type vacuum to clean dust contaminated surfaces.
      • Avoid using a typical household vacuum which will re-suspend the collected dust into the air.
      • Shop vacuums and other common vacuum cleaners do not filter out small particles, but rather blow such particles out the exhaust into the air where they can be breathed.
      • Do not use leaf blowers or take other actions that will put ash into the air.
    • Food:
      • Wash any home-grown fruits or vegetables from trees or gardens before eating.
      • Avoid bringing other food to the site or eating at the affected site, or keep the food in a sealed container to prevent contamination and wash your hands well before eating.
  • For more information, click here:

F.Drinking Water Safety

  • To keep up with the water demands in the distribution system of fighting the Carr Fire, some local water systems are bypassing filtration.
  • The State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water is advising customers in these districts to boil tap water for one minute or use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
  • For more information call:
    • Water Utility contact: Chris Koeper, Shasta CSD General Manager
      • (530) 241-6264
    • State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water
      • (530) 224-4800.
    • To check the current status of your water system, visit this link:

G.Electricity and Gas

  • To check if there is an outage in your area, visit PG&E’s updated outage map at:
  • PG&E is partnering with Redding Electric and has established emergency operation centers to support Carr Fire victims.
  • Gas restoration is complete for customers who were available to provide access for PG&E's technicians. If you return to your property and do not have gas service, please call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
    • Remember that PG&E employees always carry identification and are willing to show it to you. Before you let someone into your home to restore gas, ask to see valid identification. If a person is claiming to be a PG&E employee, and you feel uncomfortable, call PG&E’s customer service line at 1-800-743-5000 to verify PG&E’s presence in the community.
  • For more information regarding Gas restoration, electric restoration, and support for PG&E customers, look here:
  • Redding Electric Utility has an online portal to start, stop, or transfer utility services. If you need immediate assistance, you can call their customer service line at (530) 339-7200, or their toll-free line at 1-866-267-8845.

H.Insurance Coverage and Assistance

  • If your home is damaged or destroyed and you have homeowner’s fire insurance, contact your insurance company. Put in a claim. Verify that you can get reimbursed for hotel costs and gas money. Remember to keep and file your receipts for reimbursements from your insurance company.
  • The California Department of Insurance (CDI) provides assistance on insurance claims, such as claim handling delays, additional living expenses, under insurance disputes, availability, and more.
    • If you are experiencing difficulty with the processing of your insurance claim or wish to have an underinsurance issue investigated, contact the officers at the CDI’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-927-4357(HELP) (TTY: 1-800-482-4833) for assistance.  
    • For information regarding wildfire insurance assistance, visit this website:

I.Lost Documents

  • If you’ve lost important documents or identification in the fires, many can be replaced at no cost.
  •  You can learn more about how to replace these common documents by contacting them directly:
  • If you have any questions or need any assistance with any of these documents, please call my office at (530) 223-6300.

J.Medical Care

  • Be cautious with wildfire smoke. For a current air quality index, visit:
  • If you need immediate medical care, call 911.

K.Medications

  • During this emergency, pharmacies are authorized to refill prescriptions without renewed contact with your physician.
  • In addition, for new health needs, we encourage people to contact their primary care provider. 

L.Pet Relocation

M.Tax Relief

  • Victims of the Carr fire may qualify for tax relief from the Internal Revenue Service. The emergency declaration from the President permits the IRS to postpone certain deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area.
  • The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies automatic filing and payment relief.
    • But affected taxpayers who reside or have a business located outside the covered disaster area must call the IRS disaster hotline at 866-562-5227.
  • Affected taxpayers in a federally declared disaster area have the option of claiming disaster-related casualty losses on their federal income tax return for either the year in which the event occurred, or the prior year.
  • Individuals may deduct personal property losses that are not covered by insurance or other reimbursements. For details, see Form 4684 and its instructions at www.irs.gov/Form4684
  • Special tax law provisions may help taxpayers and businesses recover financially, learn more about these provision, here:
  • The Board of Equalization (BOE) provides information on when and how you can obtain property tax relief when your home is affected by a disaster. An extension of up to three months to file and pay taxes or fees is available in all of the following BOE programs:
    • Alcoholic Beverage Tax
    • California Tire Fee
    • Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Fee
    • Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax
    • Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Fee
    • Diesel Fuel Tax
    • Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge
    • Energy Resources Surcharge
    • Hazardous Waste Activity Fee
    • Hazardous Waste Disposal Fee
    • Hazardous Waste Environmental Fee
    • Hazardous Waste Facility Fee
    • Hazardous Waste Generator Fee
    • Integrated Waste Management Fee
    • Interstate User Diesel Fuel Tax
    • Jet Fuel Tax
    • Lumber Products Assessment Fee
    • Marine Invasive Species Fee
    • Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax
    • Natural Gas Surcharge
    • Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Fee
    • Oil Spill Response, Prevention, and Administration Fee
    • Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services (MTS) Surcharge
    • Regional Railroad Accident Preparedness and Immediate Response Fee
    • Sales and Use Tax
    • Timber Yield Tax
    • Underground Storage Tank Maintenance Fee
    • Use Fuel Tax
    • Water Rights Fee

N.Small Business Assistance

  • If the Carr Fire hit your small business, first contact FEMA to apply for financial assistance.
  • The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies automatic filing and payment relief.

O.Unemployment Assistance

  • Call my office at (530) 223-6300 if you have questions or complications with filing an unemployment insurance or disability claim.

P.Contributing

  • It will take some time to identify specific needs, but financial donations to grant-making organizations and nonprofit disaster response organizations are often the best way to help individuals and families affected by disasters.
  • We strongly encourage donors to carefully research charitable organizations prior to donating to ensure that their donated funds will have the desired result.
  • For additional information and easy-to-use tips on avoiding charity scams following a disaster, please visit the Attorney General's Charities website.