If you choose to rebuild after the firestorm, there’s help

SPOKANE, Wash. — One of the biggest questions people who have lost their home are facing right now, is whether they will rebuild. For those who choose to move forward with rebuilding, the process can be overwhelming and involves numerous steps.

The Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, which formed three years ago during the Gray and Oregon Road fires, is offering help to families navigating the recovery process.

“We will be the conduit that can help folks navigate the systems and to find the resources they need to recover,” said Terri Cooper, a member of the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group.

The organization says they have already been contacted by roughly 300 fire victims. This includes people who are underinsured and some who have no insurance coverage at all.

The recovery group says fire victims can contact them now and explain their situations.

The Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group was first formed three years ago, during the Gray and Oregon Road fires. They say they are taking their experience from helping people recover from those fires into this round of fire recovery.

“More people were not insured than we realized,” Cooper said. “A lot of people, most people, were underinsured because it’s so expensive right now to build back. Labor, supplies, everything costs more.”

Their advice to fire victims now, is to focus on short-term recovery first, like getting asbestos testing done and submitting a notice of intent to rebuild. They also say people should seek guidance through the process and avoid rushing the cleanup phase.

“Be sure you don’t try to take any shortcuts,” Cooper said. “I will tell you, we’re working with people now, three years later who cleaned it up themselves. And then we had to go back and prove and test..”

The organization joined the Spokane County Commissioners meeting Monday. They are currently seeking more funding and more case managers. In the meantime, the recovery group reminds people to be patient, understanding that the full rebuilding process could take three to five years.