MWS Wire, Oxnard
LONG-TERM RECOVERY INFORMATION
Recovering from a wildfire is a long-term process and will take an immense amount of time and patience. The County of Ventura has a website dedicated to the Mountain Fire Recovery that includes a variety of information cleanup, rebuilding, donating and more.
Website: Ventura County Recovers
VC Emergency Website: vcemergency.com
Get the latest on evacuation orders, emergency shelters, road closures, and school closures. VC Emergency is the county’s official source for timely updates and resources on public safety and natural disasters.
Mountain Fire Business Resources
The Mountain Fire in Ventura County is impacting the community, posing challenges for local businesses. This page provides essential resources, updates, and guidance to help businesses navigate the wildfire's effects.
Find information on safety measures, financial assistance programs, and recovery efforts. Check this page regularly for updates.
Economic Development Collaborative Opens Disaster Bridge Loan Fund for Businesses Impacted by Mountain Fire
Facing any natural, economic or civil disruption can leave businesses frustrated and out of resources. The Economic Development Collaborative understands the risks businesses face and is ready to provide access to capital and specialized, hands-on technical business assistance today.
The Disaster Bridge Loan Fund has been created to provide immediate financial support to small businesses impacted by the fires. If your business has been impacted by fire, smoke, reduced hours, product damage or otherwise, be sure to take advantage of all resources available to you. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance!
LOANS FROM $10,000 TO $25,000 NOW AVAILABLE AT JUST 7.5%!
Funding May be Used For:
- Equipment and inventory purchases
- Working Capital
Terms & Eligibility: View the loan application for a full list of terms & eligibility
- 36-month maximum loan term
- For-profit small business located within the County of Ventura in operation on or before January 1, 2024
- Borrower must be able to demonstrate repayment ability and acceptable credit history
- Borrower must match loan amount 1:1
- Minimum credit score of 625
- No bankruptcy in the last 7 years
- No derogatory credit in the last 12 months
Contact the EDC LOAN Team at loans@edcollaborative.com or call 805.409.9497. Applications in English & Spanish.
The Local Assistance Center is now open for victims of the Mountain Fire. It will be open, Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Ventura County Office of Education, 5100 Adolfo Rd, Camarillo, CA.
Mountain Fire AG Recovery Webinar Series
In partnership with Farm Bureau Ventura County, the Ag Commissioner’s Office, UCCE, VCRCD, USDA-FSA, Thomas Fire survivors, and others, CoLAB is co-hosting a series of webinars for the agricultural community.
These sessions will provide important updates, provide a platform to ask questions, and create opportunities for collaboration and mutual support as we work together to recover and rebuild. Dates and sign-up information are provided above.
Business Resources
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)
Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private nonprofit organizations located in a declared disaster area that have suffered substantial economic injury may be eligible for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Even though Governor Newsom has declared a state of emergency, that has not triggered resources from the Small Business Administration. We are monitoring the situation and will have updates posted as soon as we hear something has changed. Meanwhile, our local Small Business Development Center (SBCD) business advisors have extensive experience supporting business owners through financial, accounting, marketing and other post-fire challenges.
Contact Economic Development Collaborative-Small Business Development Center for business-specific disaster support:
Agricultural Business Resources
In addition to the resources below, the Ventura County Farm Bureau offers a list of resources for the agricultural sector, including worker safety: View Resources
2024 Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) - provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters, including excessive wind and qualifying drought (includes native grass for grazing).
2024 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)- An owner or contract grower must file a notice of loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is first apparent. LIP offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather.
2024 Tree Assistance Program-Report your tree/bush/vine losses within 90 Days of the disaster or disease. TAP provides assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers for qualifying tree, shrub and vine losses due to natural disasters, including fire.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) - provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs. Notice of Loss and application deadline is Jan 30 after the program year in which the loss occurred.
USDA Emergency Loan Program – available to producers with agriculture operations. For more information on these programs, contact your Ventura County USDA Service Center at (805)928-9269 Ext. 2.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil: America’s vitality is rooted in the soil. Today, private landowners across the country are partnering with NRCS to conserve and improve soil. Additionally, NRCS is also a leader in soil science, playing a pivotal role in classifying and mapping soils as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey.
University of California: Cooperative Extension Ventura County - Avocado Guidance.
Ventura County Resource Conservation District: Agriculture Programs.
Cal/OSHA Worker Protection Guidelines: Ensure compliance with Cal/OSHA air quality regulations to protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke.
Guidelines. For air quality data, visit AirNow or Ventura County APCD. Sign up for updates via vcapcd.org or follow them on social media.
Utilities Disaster Support Services
Southern California Edison (SCE) has a dedicated Customer Support Team to help impacted customers. If you have been impacted by a disaster, SCE can help. Please call SCE at 1.800.250.7339 from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm Monday through Friday or Saturdays from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, or visit the SCE webpage for additional information or assistance.
SoCalGas wants to help ease the burden on those impacted by a natural disaster when a State of Emergency has been declared by the California Governor or federally declared by the President of the United States.
For customers who are without natural gas service and those needing to relocate (either temporarily or permanently) due to damages incurred, such as fire/mudslide damage, the following changes will apply as part of the policy:
- Closing bills may be forgiven for directly impacted customers.
- Flexible payment arrangements will be available upon request for customers who live in impacted areas and are able to return home.
SoCalGas also wants to assure customers whose natural gas service has been temporarily turned off at the request of emergency responders that they will not be billed for service during this temporary outage. For more information, please contact their customer service helpline at 1.800.427.2200.
Social Services
Legal Resources
Conflict Resolution Institute (CRI) is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides mediation services, conflict resolution training and conflict resolution education to individuals and businesses in Ventura County. Their services are provided on a sliding scale based on income/gross revenue. Their team is available to help address commercial and residential disputes. They can be contacted by calling 805.384.1313 or by emailing Info@ConflictResolutionVC.org
Wellness Resources
Wellness Everyday provides guidance and mental health resources in English and Spanish for individuals and families. Find local resources and guides for children, teens and adults on a variety of topics to support mental, physical and social wellbeing on their website.
211 Essential Community Services
211 is a comprehensive information and referral system connecting people quickly and effectively to health and human services, disaster relief and public information. The helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no-cost to the caller.
If calling from a local landline, dial 211. If calling from a cellular phone, call your county line below or visit their website:
- Ventura County: Visit the 211 webpage or dial 800.339.9597
For additional resources, visit the Economic Development Collaborative's Business Disaster Recovery Resources.
Emergency Preparedness Guide
This guide from Pacific Coast Business Times helps businesses create effective disaster plans to protect operations and employees. Download guide in: English | Spanish