Rebuilding Sonoma County: Redwood Valley recovering from 2017 Mendocino County wildfire

REDWOOD VALLEY

The generous rains of January have turned the hills that surround Redwood Valley emerald green, obscuring many of the scars from the October 2017 fire that ravaged the area. Legions of blackened and skeletal trees remain, but many of these - particularly the oaks - have sprouted new foliage along their trunks and branches.

It’s not an anomalous development; California, it’s often noted, is a fire-adapted landscape. Many of our native shrubs and trees are resistant to wildfire, surviving even relatively intense blazes.

But the people who live in the valley, of course, are another matter entirely. The fire burned 380 homes here and killed nine people. It was a deeply traumatizing event, and while the community is on the road to recovery, the journey hasn’t been easy. And there is still a long way to go.

“It’s been tough economically,” said Sonia Johnson, an employee of Mendocino Greenhouse and Garden Supply, which primarily retails to the local cannabis industry. “There weren’t many jobs here before the fire, and things have gotten worse if anything.”

Further, said Johnson, Redwood Valley residents still feel emotionally unmoored. Everyone was scarred by the blaze, she says, whether or not they lost homes.

“When my boyfriend and I evacuated with my two kids and our dogs, there was fire on both sides of the road,” she said. “Houses just a few minutes from us were completely obliterated. I’ve lived here all my life, and I love this area. But now, it’s almost as though you’re just waiting for someone to drop something burning - you get scared if there’s a whiff of smoke. I’m just glad it’s raining.”

Reconstruction in the valley is happening, but it’s piecemeal at best. A few new homes stand along Tomki Road, where the flames were particularly furious; a few others are under construction. But many of the lots where houses once stood remain bare, supporting nothing more than weeds scattered along bare, graded dirt.

“People are finally rebuilding now, and I’m happy about that,” said Don Dale, the chief of the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department, “But it’s still a slow process. There aren’t enough architects around to draft and submit plans, and there aren’t enough contractors around to put up the homes once plans are approved. It’s ?frustrating a lot of people.”

Many residents are also finding they simply don’t have the financial resources to rebuild, said Trino Hernandez, an electrical contractor who spent some time on a recent rainy afternoon chatting with friends at Mike’s Barber Shop in Redwood Valley’s small business district.

“Lots of people were underinsured, or in some cases, they just didn’t have insurance,” said Hernandez. “That’s particularly true with the older residents.”

Rebuilding is proceeding apace in some of the newer developments, said Hernandez. “Those are generally properties owned by people who had financial resources and kept their insurance up. But in most other places, it’s still just vacant lots. People have moved out. We’ve lost population. Some are coming back, but it’s slow, very slow. This isn’t like Santa Rosa with the Tubbs fire. Our recovery just isn’t as strong,” Hernandez said.

Many residents have found themselves in a kind of financial and emotional limbo, unable to rebuild but disinclined to move completely out of the area. Michael McDonald is a case in point. He and his wife lived for 30 years in a yurt on their 40-acre Mariposa Creek Road homestead. They were independent, off the grid and utterly content. Then the fire roared through the valley and turned their property into a blackened moonscape. They lost everything, almost down to the last standing tree. They now live in a small apartment in Willits, visiting their property for work projects.

“We finally got a little trailer that we put out there,” said McDonald. “We had some help in purchasing it from a local group, North Coast Opportunities. It’s not big enough to live in, but we can at least stay overnight.”

McDonald acknowledges that the transition to his post-fire life has not been easy. He and his wife feel constrained and stressed by the abrupt transition to an urban lifestyle after decades of tranquility and self-sufficiency in a beautiful natural setting.

“I’ve gained 60 pounds in a year, just from inactivity and anxiety eating,” McDonald said. “It’s only just now that I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable about things.”

As for rebuilding, the McDonalds remain uncommitted.

“Our love for our property and our stubbornness is pushing us to rebuild,” he said. “But our desire to move forward with our lives compels us to stay flexible. I’m shocked at the costs involved. I recently bought some materials to build a little shed to store my tools, and it was just like - ‘What?’ So, as things stand, I’m not terribly hopeful.”

Redwood Valley’s rural character tends to attract its share of rugged individualists, so it’s no surprise there are few, if any, leaders organizing a coordinated disaster relief response. But neighborliness is integral to country living, says fire chief Don Dale.

“We spend quite a bit of time talking to folks, not conducting inspections, really, but seeing what they need,” said Dale. “We see people helping each other out. People here are stepping up and doing what they can.”

As far as the needs of his own department go, a basic resource is lacking: firefighters. The department depends on volunteers to bolster its ranks. “While the count is up, we could always use more hands,” Dale said. “It’s tough being a volunteer firefighter because the requirements and training are pretty rigorous these days. Most people who live here work out of the area, and they just don’t have the time. On top of that, we’re often called out of area on mutual aid to help other agencies. That can leave us short-handed.”

A few small NGOs are working diligently to help people out. Foremost among them is North Coast Opportunities, which is often lauded by locals for its efficacy in getting valley residents both shelter and aid.

“We’re addressing problems in a few ways,” said Jon Kennedy, a case worker with the group. “If somebody is, say, $20,000 short of their goal in putting up a manufactured home, we can help with both funding and negotiating with the contractor. If somebody needs paint, building materials, or a new washer and dryer, we’ll get them what they need. We’re also doing everything we can to reduce the stress for people trying to rebuild, and for most people, the biggest source of stress has been getting the necessary permits. The county has been extremely responsive in working with us and expediting the regulatory process.”

North Coast Opportunities also is partnering with the faith-based organization Hope City to build four homes for low-income residents.

Finally, Kennedy and some friends have started their own nonprofit, Rebuilding Now Inc., to put up basic homes for uninsured or underinsured survivors.

“It was kind of like ‘Schindler’s List,’ where Schindler is saying at the end of the film, ‘I could’ve done more, I could’ve done more,’” Kennedy said. “We’re trying to fill a gap, the jobs that contractors avoid because there’s not enough profit. We’ll finish our first home in a couple of weeks, and we hope to have three or four more going within the next month.”

Despite its struggles, Redwood Valley clearly is on the mend. It’s possible to envision a time - perhaps not too terribly far in the future - when things are back to a pre-fire baseline.

“I can’t imagine this beautiful valley not recovering,” said Michael McDonald. “People will leave, but other people will come in.”

It’s a good sign, certainly, that trade is increasing at some of the local businesses. A few are even thriving.

“Business slowed down after the fire, but it’s been picking up, and now I’d have to say things are pretty good,” said Mike Briseno, the owner and operator of Mike’s Barber Shop. “People need to have their hair cut, no matter what. And not to brag, but everyone likes my haircuts.”