The Assembly today approved SB 477, a bill by Senator Nell Soto (D – Pomona) to reinforce community disaster recovery policies and address community recovery after the federal government and emergency personnel leave the area.

Soto’s bill authorizes the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) to establish a model process that would be made available to assist a community in recovering from an emergency proclaimed by the Governor. 

Toward that end, SB 477 would authorize OES to establish a model process that may include the following to assist a community in post-emergency recovery:

• The role of OES in the community recovery process;

• Procedures for OES to have representation onsite as soon as practicable after the Governor proclaims a state of emergency;

• The role of OES to facilitate the use of temporary services – including direct assistance to individuals, families, and businesses, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance, food and clothing vouchers, farm service assistance, tax relief, insurance and legal services;

• The role of OES to facilitate the establishment of temporary structures, including local assistance centers, shower and bathroom facilities, and temporary administrative offices;

• Measures to encourage the participation of non-governmental organizations in the community recovery process to supplement recovery activities undertaken by federal or local entities.

OES is responsible for assuring the state's readiness to respond to and recover from the effects of emergencies that threaten lives, property, and the environment.  The office assists local governments and state agencies in developing their emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans, for terrorism, earthquakes, floods, fires, hazardous materials incidents, and dam breaks.

Senator Soto believes it is essential for California to adopt an effective post-disaster community recovery process.  She says that current law and policies regarding post-disaster community recovery have proven to be inadequate based on the experience of victims of California wildfires of 2003. 

Soto also maintains that while OES has made progress in developing community recovery policies, her bill was necessary to help reinforce those community recovery policies and address community recovery after the federal government and emergency personnel leave the area.

“My bill is directly related to the experience of the victims of the 2003 wildfires,” Soto says. “Assistance centers were set up by the federal government and OES during the initial evacuation and the days that followed that provided loans and grants to the victims.  While this assistance was tremendous, we found that nearly 15 months after the fires, less than 10% of the destroyed homes had acquired the necessary permits to rebuild.”

According to Soto, at the time of the fires the state lacked a plan that addressed funding and coordination of state and local activities following a disaster.  Fire victims found deficiencies in the effective management of the recovery process, the provision of adequate interim shelter and housing, as well as, planning and resources available for long-term, post-disaster housing, and adequate knowledge and preparation by the public for effective recovery. 

SB 477 now returns to the Senate for concurrence on Assembly amendments.