Oregon residents whose homes and businesses were affected by the September wildfires can now rest assured that cleanup of wildfire ash and debris will be provided at no cost, the State of Oregon announced on Monday.
Wildfire Recovery Update, Nov. 16: The state will provide no-cost ash & debris cleanup (Step 2) for homes & businesses affected by #OregonFires2020. FEMA’s
disaster assistance deadline is extended to Nov. 30th.Read the entire update here: https://t.co/K9UB7i3Poc#OregonRising pic.twitter.com/gTNforGZtq
— OregonOEM (@OregonOEM) November 17, 2020
Home and businesses owners must opt into the wildfire cleanup program and submit a Right of Entry form to allow clean up crews on their property, who will then remove ash and structural debris, hazard trees, and other things like concrete foundations and burned cars from the premises, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
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The clean-up service is available to eight counties — Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion — and marks Step 2 of a two-step cleaning process to get the affected areas back in order since wildfires that ravaged the west coast. Damages summoned hundreds of Canadian volunteer firefighters to help, enacted curfews and closed businesses in some counties in Oregon, and crowned the city of Portland as having, at one point, the worst air quality in the world.
After the completion of Step 1 of the cleanup process, which is already in the works and removes household hazardous waste, things like fuel, car batteries, propane tanks, and asbestos materials from properties, work on Step 2 is expected to begin in early December 2020, and will go on for 6-18 months.