The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services is passing along the following information provided by Oregon's Debris Management Task Force:

• The State of Oregon is leading wildfire cleanup efforts, and has committed to funding ash and debris removal for homes and businesses so Oregonians can rebuild. The state will fund ash and debris cleanup for all property owners that opt into the state-led program, regardless of FEMA eligibility.
• Home and business owners will pay no upfront cost and no government agency or contractor working for them will recoup any insurance money unless it is designated for debris removal or left over after rebuilding your home or business.
• This includes mobile home parks, second residences, businesses, barns and other agricultural outbuildings. Property owners will have the option of opting into concrete foundation removal. Some hazard trees will also be removed in coordination with the property owner.
• The Step 2 process will be managed by the state and coordinated by the county, much like how Step 1 has worked.
• For homeowners, the best thing you can do is sign a Right of Entry form through your county. If you want Step 2 cleanup on your property, you must sign the All Wildfire Debris Right of Entry form.
• The state plans to start the ash and debris removal process in December 2020, and estimates this work will take 18 months to complete for the entire state. This includes considerations such as weather impacts, property access limitations and geographic scope.
• The state is working closely with county governments to determine cleanup priorities for each area.
• People can check cleanup progress at https://wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup or by calling the wildfire cleanup hotline: 503-934-1700

WHY SIGN UP: Save your health, save your money.

• Save your health:Ash and debris are still dangerous even after Step 1 is complete. Ash and debris may contain asbestos or chemicals that are harmful to your health if inhaled. If you return to your property, follow safety tips at ordeq.org/afterthefire to protect yourself.
• Save your money:Doing the cleanup on your own will cost more and will reduce the amount of insurance money you have available to rebuild your home or business. Removal of wildfire debris can be an expensive process, costing as much as $75,000. Even with insurance, a majority of the cost may not be covered.Federal, state and local government agencies will not recoup insurance money you need to use to rebuild your home or business. The state would only recoup money from your insurance that is specifically designated for debris removal or that is left over after you have rebuilt your home or business.

FUNDING:

• FEMA will reimburse the state for a portion of eligible costs. The State of Oregon will fund the remaining costs to clean up properties so Oregonians can rebuild, regardless of FEMA reimbursement.
• Oregon is working with FEMA to determine funding eligibility in each county for individual things like private property debris, cars, hazard trees, concrete removal, confirmation testing, and commercial properties – including mobile home parks. FEMA will fund at least 75% of eligible items. The state will fund the rest.
• Initial estimates put the debris cleanup tally at over $600 million, including $326 million for ash and debris removal and $295 million to remove damaged trees. The estimate is preliminary and is likely to change.
• Additional legislative action may be needed to obtain total funding for the state’s portion of the cleanup effort.

PROGRESS:

• Each property we cleanup is someone’s home, someone’s business – so we know that this work can’t happen fast enough.
• The wildfire cleanup process is already underway in all affected counties. Step 1 work is being done by EPA. Check hazardous waste cleanup progress on EPA’s 2020 Oregon Fires Recovery website or call 541-225-5549.HHW includes paint, bleach, fertilizers, pesticides, batteries, propane tanks, large pieces of asbestos.
• The Debris Management Task Force is currently working to hire contractors to complete the work for Step 2, ash and debris removal.

ORGANIZATION:

• Oregon’s Debris Management Task Force is coordinating federal, state and local government agencies to clean up debris from the 2020 Oregon wildfires. It consists of Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Dept. of Transportation, and Dept. of Environmental Quality.
• ODOT is the lead agency for coordinating funding and contracts for ash and debris cleanup.
• Participating counties: Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion.

More info: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup