 A garage burns a wide view of a large cloud of smoke with a fire blazing answering top five questions. You've survived the wildfire, but now there's a lot of important questions. Where do you start? How long is this going to take? And how do I work with my insurance company? Don't be afraid to speak up. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We tackle the five most frequently asked questions asked by wildfire survivors. But I'm still a little unclear. And get you answers from the experts. That's all coming up next on this special how to disaster recovery show. Cal OES logo. Governors office of emergency services. Wildfires contained. Now with top five questions. Hi, thanks for joining us. I'm Brian May in the Cal OES newsroom. It is a question we hear in every disaster. Now what? And if you're a survivor, it's an important one. There's a lot of things you need to know to begin the recovery process. And there's a lot of information to consider. In this show, we've put together five of the most frequently asked questions. And we've reached out to the experts to get you the answers. Where do I go to get help? For many, the first question is really the first step. Where do I start? Where do I go to get help? For the two largest and most damaging wildfires, the Mendocino complex fire and the car fire, those impacted should start at what's called a disaster recovery center. Sometimes you may also hear it referred to as a local assistance center. And these centers are a one-stop shop where local, state and federal agencies come together specifically to help you with information and services. The Disaster Recovery Center for Lake County is located at 9460 Main Street in Upper Lake. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. closed on Sundays. And for residents of Shasta County, the Disaster Recovery Center is located in the former Kmart building at 2685 Hilltop Drive in Reading. It is also open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. closed on Sundays. If anyone has suffered any damages, any losses, please let us know. You need any type of assistance at all. What we're here at the DRC Disaster Recovery Center is to put a face-to-face to your recovery needs. So anything that you may need, register with FEMA. You don't have to come into the Disaster Recovery Center. You can register by calling 1-800-621-3362 or our website, www.disasterassistance.gov. You can make all of your preparation, all your registrations right there. For more information on either of the Disaster Recovery Centers, you can go to wildfirerecovery.org. You can also find links to your local city or county website with specific information about the disasters. What else is out there? So now that you know about the Disaster Recovery Centers, the next question is, what else is available? Often there's rumors and misinformation that may lead you to believe that you're only qualified for limited assistance, or worse, none at all because of your unique circumstances. Well, the experts we talked to say it's important to explore all of the possibilities and don't make assumptions. Don't rule yourself out for federal assistance. A lot of times folks do. They think, well, I'm not going to qualify. I had a pretty good insurance policy. Maybe my home wasn't completely destroyed. You've got to get yourself registered. You know, one of the things that's really interesting about the car fire in particular is we've got a lot of folks that suffered significant wind damage, but their home wasn't destroyed by fire. Those folks are still potentially eligible for federal assistance. You know, we've got faith-based organizations that help folks sift through the debris and find artifacts, family heirlooms, other cherished items that may have survived the fire. We've got the American Red Cross that oftentimes has financial donations that they can make available to individuals. You know, and oftentimes there's tremendous charitable contributions happening through local nonprofits and other foundations that are set up that have funding or other resources available to help address needs that government or your insurance may not be able to address. If you're looking for a way to make sure you're getting the most help available, ask this simple question, what else is available for me? Often we find that special programs and services like those offered by community-based organizations are announced at local community meetings or town halls. They're not just an update on the disaster recovery process by local officials. They're a great way to find out what else may be available for you. How long is this going to take? This is the one everyone wants to know, especially if you've suffered a major loss. How long is this going to take? And every disaster survivor we've met wants to get back to normal as quickly as possible. So this is an important question and often one of the hardest to answer. There's perhaps no one better to ask this question to than someone who's been through it. Paul Lowenthal is one of the nearly 9,000 residents who lost their homes in the devastating October 2017 wildfires here in California. His perspective though is a unique one. He's not only a survivor but a first responder, a firefighter who left his home to help save others and in the process he lost everything. From the initial onset, people are always eager to get ahead. They're eager to start moving forward with the recovery process. They get edgy, they get nervous because they don't see a lot of activity. They're not sure with what the city, the county, the state or the federal government are doing. People also need to understand that there's decisions that they can make really early on that can help them move forward quickly. There was a group of about 12 neighbors that all came together and met pretty quickly after the fire and started talking about contractors and architects. And that's a prime example of how neighborhoods immediately came together and recognized that there's going to be needs that we're all going to have and how can we work together to help us collectively move forward. Lowenthal says the journey to full recovery can be a long one. Although there's no set timeline for how long it will take, he recommends being patient, take your time and most importantly, talking with others who have been through it. It shouldn't be a journey you take alone. Am I getting the most from my insurance provider? You're likely familiar with the piece of mind that comes with being insured. It's something that you have, but hope you'll never use. Many homeowners and renters policies cover wildfire damage, so contacting your insurance company should be one of your first steps. But how do you make sure you're getting the most from your policy? The California Department of Insurance provides special assistance to those recovering from wildfires. I think people immediately assume that they're in an adversarial relationship with their insurance company, and they may ultimately be. But the first thing you need to do is to call your insurance agent, call your insurance company and ask for a copy of your policy. That is, once you've secured your safety and the safety of your loved ones and you've stabilized your living situation, call the insurance company, call the insurance agent, ask for a copy of the policy, have them walk through the contents of the policy with you. Second, most homeowners' insurance policies have coverage for your out-of-pocket expenses when you've been evacuated. Even if your home hasn't been touched by the fire or the disaster, you can still be entitled to get your lodging costs, your transportation costs, your food costs. Anything associated with your living expenses while you were evacuated outside the home might be covered. There's a lot to consider, and often a lot you may not know. The California Department of Insurance has posted helpful resources on their website, including the top 10 tips for wildfire claimants. It's a checklist everyone should go through when considering making an insurance claim. It's even helpful for those who haven't been affected by wildfires. Commissioner Jones says if you're not certain you're getting what you need from your insurance company, you can contact his office, and they are happy to help you. You can call them at 1-800-927-4357. And you can find that top 10 checklist at insurance.ca.gov. Is there anything I'm missing? What else do I need to know? So we've covered a lot already, but before we go, you may at some point ask yourself, is there anything I'm missing? And the simple answer is yes. Often survivors are overwhelmed by the daunting task of recovery, and it can be an emotional journey. So it's understandable that you just can't know it all. Perhaps the better question is, what else do I need to know? Here's two experts with some answers. That you're not in it on your own. There's a lot of people that want to be able to help you. I mean, you see people come out of the woodwork when a disaster strikes. When Cal OES works to help communities recover, we work with a whole community of partners from the federal government, local nonprofits, the Red Cross, faith-based organizations. And similarly for the individual, they need to realize that there's a multitude of organizations out there to help you, but you're your own best advocate in finding those organizations and reaching out to those. Don't be afraid to speak up. Don't be afraid to ask questions. By not asking those questions, it's just you're left with that unknown. There's a lot of agencies that are directly involved with the recovery operations that have, whether it's a hotline, whether it's a person that you can physically talk to and email. They're all resources that are available for people to reach out and get those questions answered. So let's condense all this information you've just heard into five simple but important tips for those affected by the wildfires. First, make sure you register with FEMA. Even if you don't think you're eligible for federal assistance, that should be step one in your recovery process. Next, make sure that you visit your local disaster recovery center or local assistance center. Again, we've got all the information and location of those centers on our website, wildfirerecovery.org. Get a copy of your insurance policy and have your agent go over that policy with you. Document everything, every conversation with your insurance company and your contractor, really anyone that you talk to about rebuilding. Remember, this is going to be a long process and the more you document, the better off you'll be down the road. And finally, as you heard, if you have questions and you will, ask them. Be your own advocate and make sure that you get the answers you're looking for. Oftentimes, additional help is available. All you have to do is ask. For more survivor information for the Car Fire, you can go to the Shasta County website and Mendocino County has a website for survivors of the Mendocino Complex Fire. You can also visit the recovery website for the state of California. That again is wildfirerecovery.org. For all of us at Cal OES, I'm Brian May. Thanks for watching.