File photo by Gary Ananian
Residents affected by the Borel Fire are invited to attend a meeting, at the Kern River Valley Senior Center, in Lake Isabella, Thursday September 19, at 2pm.
CalOES, Kern County Planning and Natural Resources, Kern County Public Works, and Kern County Public Health will be on site to present the program, which will be assisting Havilah residents who were affected by the Borel Fire.
The State of California recently approved phase-2 for cleaning up homes, which the Borel Fire ravaged according to a report by BakersfieldNow. https://m.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/state-approves-phase-2-cleanup-for-homes-destroyed-by-borel-fire-meeting-next-week-kern-county-toxic-substances-debris-protective-equipment
This new phase will be focused solely on removing ash left behind and debris of the homes. This stage will be at no cost to the residents of the area.
Thursday September 12 BakersfieldNow news staff reported that hazardous materials were already being removed from that region.
Affected residents were required to apply for this sort of assistance and had to enable right of entry for the authorities to conduct these services.
Before this phase, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) took two weeks to conduct the first phase, which began August 26. At that time residents of the area were urged not to return to their properties without the proper protective equipment, and to refrain from disturbing the area by cleaning ash or debris.
Meanwhile residents of Havilah have been patiently awaiting the conclusion of these phases and attempting to piece back together the remains of their devastated lives.
