Sonoma County Medical Association Disaster Relief Info October 18, 2017 CMA CMA, North Bay Fires, Relief, SCMA 0 A message from Sonoma County Medical Association Executive Director, Wendy Young: Dear Physicians and Colleagues: We would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere condolences to those affected by the wildfires here in California.As you may know by now, many Sonoma County (and Napa County) physicians, medical staff, families, friends and neighbors have been affected by the fires that are still not completely contained. The count today is reaching up into the 200's for physicians who have lost their homes and everything personal they owned. This is an extremely trying time, and our hearts go out to our many friends and neighbors who have lost their homes and businesses.We are thankful for the North Bay communities who are coming together to help those in need and the first responders who have been working around the clock to ensure our safety. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those affected. Please know that SCMA, NCMS, ACCMS and CMA are working together to find ways to help our physician members in any way we can. We are dedicated to YOU, our members. While we are generally an organization that values community service and giving back. Today, we have to think about YOU first, so we can make sure that the community has physicians who are present in mind, body and spirit while they themselves are serving their patients. Please be our guide as we try to find ways to help you. We come to you as an organization that wants to serve our members and physician community. Today I visited the Local Assistance Center in downtown Santa Rosa on your behalf to see what resources I can bring to you so you don't have to stand in lines. Many of these resources are listed below. I have many of the brochures here at my office if you want to come get them. In service to you, Wendy, Rachel, Susan, Linda and the entire SCMA Board of Directors. OUR COMMUNITY OF PHYSICIANS: We have heard from many already and understand that approximately 200 physicians have lost their homes. This is an astounding number of our community that we need to help! We have offers of short term homes and rooms if you need a place while you gather your thoughts. Please contact SCMA at (707) 525-4375 to let us know if you have lost your home, or if you have a home, granny unit or room to offer to one of our own community. Let's help each other get to the other side of this disaster! Note: Please contact me directly on my cell phone at (707) 236-2589 outside of work hours and on the weekends. I am here anytime to help you! VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:While many of the shelters are winding down, there may still be volunteer opportunities for those of you who wish to volunteer at one of the remaining evacuation centers, visit this site to see what shelters need assistance and hours needed. Physicians and registered nurses are needed. This site also has valuable information. SONOMA COUNTY EVACUATION MAP: Here is a link to the current evacuation map for your reference. CURRENT FIRE SIZE AND CONTAINMENT UPDATES: www.fire.ca.gov www.readyforwildfire.org Now for the Rebuilding part: Roadmap to Recovery:This document is one of the most comprehensive guides I have seen.This checklist shares ""first steps" to take after the wildfire and will help to keep you on track during this stressful time. This document was written by survivors of the Oakland Hills fires. They have also written this book on Disaster Recovery, which is available to you here at the SCMA office. Stop by for your copy today. I have other resources here at the office as well for Home inventory, residential insurance info for homeowners and renters and what to do after a disaster. FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE: Do not miss this FIRST step! Click on this link to apply for a FEMA Number. You will use this number for all disaster assistance whether it is local, state or national. FEMA offersIndividual Assistanceafter a disaster to help begin your recovery. The Individual Assistance page offers youa lookat the steps and options available to you.Registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, is the quickest way to register for FEMA assistance. If you are unable to access the internet, you can also call at 1-800-621-3362. Have this information ready when you apply: Social Security Number Address of damaged home; description of the damage Info on Insurance coverage Contact info: Phone and mailing address Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposits of funds Rebuilding After the 2017 Fire: Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions Utilities:Santa Rosa Water and XFinity/Comcast: SCMA has arranged with the local utilities providers to allow us to cancel services on your behalf. Please contact SCMA at (707) 525-4375. Give us your home address and name on the account and we will cancel your services for you. MAIL FORWARDING:For those residents who are effected by mandatory evacuations and unable to retrieve their mail, a couple of options are available through USPS's website. The first is aTemporary Mail Holdthat will enable you to hold your mail from delivery for a specific amount of time and at the end of the time specified, mail will be delivered directly to your residence or you have the option to pick it up directly from a USPS branch. The second choice available would be aChange of Addresswhich will redirect your mail to a different address on a temporary or permanent basis.Click here for change of Address service request that you can complete online. U.S.: PASSPORTS: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR LOST PASSPORT Report and apply for a replacement passport byClicking on this link, and navigate to the "Report Lost or Stolen" tab. APPLICATIONS FOR REPLACEMENT CERTIFIED COPIES OF MARRIAGE, BIRTH OR DEATH CERTIFICATES. Click here for the specific forms specifically for this disaster recovery.This form will waive all fees associated with applying for replacement copies of these important documents. Please note, these are only for the State of California. These forms can be signed and submitted in person at the County Clerk's office at the Santa Rosa Courthouse, or sent in via U.S. Mail. If sending by mail, they must be notarized. SOCIAL SECURITY REPLACEMENT DOCUMENTS: For a replacement Social Security card or Medicare Card go to www.socialsecurity.gov. These documents will give you info you need. FIRE DAMAGE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF:The County of Sonoma is working on identifying and adjusting property values and tax bills on properties damaged by the recent fires in Sonoma County. You do not need to contact them, they will be adjusting and sending out notices to you directly. However, they do need to know where to find you.Please fill in this Change of Mailing Address form and send it to the Sonoma County Assessor's Office in Santa Rosa. The County will be working with Cal Fire and local fire departments to identify all properties with over $10,000 in damage.All efforts will be made to issue corrected 2017-18 property tax bills by December 11, 2017. Affected taxpayers will have a 30 day deferral period following receipt of a corrected tax bill. Taxpayers with impound accounts should contact their lender to inform them of the change in status of their property. DEBRIS REMOVAL & CONSTRUCTION SCAMS: Review this so you know what to watch out for during the initial clean up process at your home. PROOF OF LOSS: Many will be working to show proof of loss to your insurance carrier. Local architects are available to work with you to identify proof of loss for your homes so you can begin the rebuilding process as soon as feasible. For those looking for assistance in the loss or damage of their home due to the recent fires, local architects can be your best resource. They will provide a source to assist with review and understanding of insurance coverage and filling out claims;Assist with gathering original home plans; obtain a construction bid for replacement based on existing drawings if needed for claim;Determine scope of project based on settlement amount. Questions to consider: Will you be rebuilding what existed prior to the fire with only minor adjustments? Will you design and build a custom home? Review opportunities based on zoning and recently adopted State housing laws and emergency declarations from City or County; A local architect can help you: Assist with project scope and design; Put together necessary building permit documents and assist with permitting through the City or County; Assist with bidding and negotiating for contractor selection; Assist with construction administration. Local architect, Kevin O'Malley, has been in contact with building officials to begin to understand what their emergency declarations may look like. They are attending all policy meetings, and have been aligning resources to assist with this potential workload. If you have questions, please contact: Kevin P. O'Malley, Principal O'Malley Wilson Westphal-A/E Alliance 555 Fifth Street, Suite 200 |Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Telephone: 707.636.0828 | Kevin@omalleywilsonwestphal.com I have other architect referrals for you as well. Please contact me at (707) 525-4375. DISASTER RELIEF FOR PROPERTY DAMAGED IN THE FIRE: If your property suffered or has been destroyed by any of the Sonoma County Fire, our hearts go out out to you. The Assessor's Office is here to help. Please see the following resources for help: Read more about Disaster Relief Download the Calamity Damage Reassessment form ARIEL VIEW OF SANTA ROSA DAMAGE:Residents can now assess neighborhood damage online. Recent aerial images of fire damage in the City of Santa Rosa have been posted on Map Box, which residents can access and manipulate to see a relatively current view of their neighborhood. Please note: areas that show red indicate the presence of vegetation, not fire. DONATIONS TO FELLOW PHYSICIAN MEMBERS: The SCMA office is collecting gift cards that we will distribute to physicians who have lost their homes. (Think Target, Amazon, Petco, Costco, etc. so they can purchase exactly what they need.)Please deliver of mail gift cards to us here at the SCMA office: 2312 Bethards Drive, Suite #6, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. 100% of your donations will go to the physicians of SCMA! Relevant and good resource articles: How insurance claims process changed for NorCal wildfires victims Surviving the Loss of Your Home Please do not hesitate to contact myself or Rachel here at the SCMA office. We are here to help you get through this. We are willing to make phone calls for you, set up new resources or whatever we can do to assist you. All the best to you, Wendy Young, Executive Director (707) 525-4375 Comments are closed.
