A big deadline is coming up soon for those affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California.
Homeowners have a decision to make: Will they work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clean up their property, or will they work with a private contractor?
Appearing on KTLA 5 News Monday morning, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath explained that fire victims have one week to decide, as Monday, March 31, is the final day for right-of-entry and opt-out forms to be submitted.
The right-of-entry and opt-out forms — giving the Corps permission to clean up one’s property and opting out of the government-run cleanup program, respectively — can be accessed on L.A. County’s disaster recovery website.
“We don’t want anyone left behind,” Horvath said. “People don’t have the option of just not removing debris. It’s hazardous to people’s health to just let it be out there uncontrolled, so we want to make sure we get it into a controlled environment and disposed of properly as soon as possible.”
The “properly” aspect is an important one to emphasize, Horvath said, as the Corps program will meet all requirements for disposing of debris at area landfills. Private contractors, in contrast, will have to ensure that they’re properly licensed, that their debris is properly packaged and that it’s being hauled by those authorized to do so by the state.
Horvath also explained that if a property owner misses the March 31 deadline and is unable to pay for their own cleanup, they’ll have to work with their local government on a cleanup plan.
