More LA wildfire victims eligible for debris removal, deadline extended

LOS ANGELES - Federal officials have extended the deadline for residents affected by the Los Angeles wildfires to apply for help with debris removal, and have made more homes eligible for the cleanup program.

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Deadline extended

What we know:

As Los Angeles County continues to recover from the Palisades and Eaton fires, the next step toward rebuilding is getting rid of all the rubble. FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are leading a federally-backed program to help residents clean up the debris. 

In order to be able to do that, residents need to submit Right of Entry (ROE) forms, giving the government permission to go on the property. Initially, only single-family properties were eligible for the program. California petitioned FEMA to expand eligibility to certain multifamily homes, and on Friday, FEMA announced that they would. With thousands more people now eligible, FEMA has also extended the deadline for filing ROE forms.

The new deadline to submit Right of Entry forms is now April 15.

Who is eligible for debris removal?

Why you should care:

Previously, only single-family homes were eligible for the debris removal program. However, after the state asked FEMA to expand eligibility to include multifamily properties, such as condos, duplexes and more, additional residents are now eligible for cleanup. To opt in, the people who live at those properties will also now have to file ROE forms. FEMA has extended the filing deadline to give those people more time to apply.

Here's who is eligible for federal debris removal:

Single-family properties:

• Any private, single-family properties are eligible.

Multifamily properties:

• Owner-occupied properties
• Residential and commercial properties that have at least one owner-occupied property

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office also announced on Friday that commercial properties and multifamily rental properties would be looked at on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they're eligible. They'll look at things like the immediate threat to the public, whether the debris is keeping people from accessing the area, and more.

Who has to fill out a Right of Entry form?

FEMA says all property owners in the affected areas need to submit the forms, even if they're opting out of the federal debris removal program. 

For those who want to opt in, the process is simple for single-family properties. The owner just has to fill out the form and submit it. For multifamily properties, it's a little more complicated. Everyone who owns a unit in a condo complex must submit an ROE form along with any homeowner's association. 

How to submit a Right of Entry form

Local perspective:

There are two ways that property owners can submit their Right of Entry forms. They can fill them out and submit them online, or they can print them out, fill them out and deliver them to a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

The online form can be found by tapping or clicking here.

The form can be downloaded from Los Angeles County's website here.

You can locate the Disaster Recovery Center closest to you on FEMA's website here.