Dear DMFSC Neighbors,
Below you will find information for the new ReCover CA Owner-Occupied Wildfire Retrofits program, which may provide with you opportunity to receive up to $50,000 for home hardening and defensible space.
Lake Berryessa News Special Report
by Evan Kilkis
"Some Napa County Homeowners Eligible for up to $50,000 in Home Hardening and Defensible
Space Upgrades
The ReCover CA “Owner-Occupied Wildfire Mitigation Retrofits” program has launched and
wants to help homeowners in nine counties around the state that were impacted by the 2020
wildfires. The goal... to spend up to $50,000 per eligible household to improve their wildfire resilience.
ReCover CA representatives will attend a special community meeting on Friday, March 15th at
5:30 PM at the Capell Valley Fire Station located at 1193 Capell Valley Rd, Napa, CA 94558. All
residents who think they qualify are encouraged to attend. Representatives will also be
attending the Napa County Fire Awareness Fair the following day at the Napa Valley Expo, free
for anyone to attend from 10AM until 2 PM.
The program identifies areas of improvement around homes in 3 “Levels of Importance”. After
they take all hazard mitigation steps in Tier 1, then if they have additional funding, they can
move to Tier 2, and then Tier 3. See the itemized list below. If you look closely at the list you
will see that if you already have immaculate defensible space when it comes to your
landscaping, the program hopefully can keep the Level 1 costs low, and move right up to level 2,
where they may fund new cement exterior siding (with trim and paint), and/or enclosed soffits,
and/or a new roof. This could be a great thing for a lot of our neighbors with 30+ year old
homes full of woodpecker holes.
The program covers all costs and manages any permits if needed. They assign the homeowner a Case Manager and Construction Manager who work with the homeowner to perform the
assessment, agree upon the “to do list”, and they then manage the work beginning to end.
If you meet all of the criteria and want more info, visit this website and attend the meeting for
more details: hcd.ca.gov/recoverca
In order to qualify, Napa County homeowners must:
- Have occupied the home as their primary residence at the time of the 2020 LNU or Glass fires,
and currently. (Rentals or second homes are not eligible)
- Be current on property and income taxes, and willing to provide documentation as outlined.
- Be a US Citizen or a qualified alien.
- Priority is given to households with incomes at or below 80% of area mean income (AMI),
which is determined by the federal government at the county level, by household size. For
example, the currently published income limit for a one-person household making 80% AMI is
$74,700, or $106,700 for a four-person household. You are encouraged to submit your
application and then your case manager can help you determine your income eligibility.
Here are the Mitigation items and Tiers:
Level Importance Items: 1
• Pea Gravel under Home and decks/porches, if necessary, over weed prevention barrier and
extend 5ft around home with no planted vegetation
• Fire resistant skirting around home plus trim and paint
• Enclose underside of elevated porches/decks with metal mesh ember resistant skirting
• Fire retardant paint type application to porches/decks
• Stump grinding
• Hazardous tree removal
• Defensible Space landscaping within zones "0" and zone"1"
Level Importance Items: 2
• Enclose soffits and fascia with fire resistant material such as fiber cement material (including
screens and flame/ember resistant strip vents)
• Install metal gutters with gutter guards
• Fiber cement exterior siding plus trim and paint
• Roofing with Class A asphalt shingles, with underlayment, ridge vent, drip edge, flashing,
ember-resistant exhaust caps for roof penetrations
Level Importance Items: 3
• Install metal exterior doors
• Install metal garage doors
• Install dual paned windows (one pane tempered glass) with screens"
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