Disaster Recovery Resource Guide - Thomas Fire

DISASTER RECOVERY RESOURCE GUIDE – THOMAS FIRE

FOR CVUSD STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND STAFF
As our families and school communities begin to recover from the impacts of the Thomas Fire, we are providing these resources for the communities we serve.

Incident Information
 Ventura County: www.readyventuracounty.org
 City of Thousand Oaks: www.toaks.org/departments/fire
 Ventura County Fire Department: http://vcfd.org/
 Emergency Alerts: www.readyventuracounty.org/VC-Alert

Air Quality
 AirNow - search by ZIP code
 Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) air quality forecast
 VCAPCD Twitter feed
 Air Quality Precautions for School Sites from Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth
 Ventura County Smoke Health Advisory
 Wildfire Smoke and Face Masks

Students' Rights
 What School District Administrators Should Know About the Educational Rights of Children and Youth Displaced by Disasters
 You Can Enroll in School" poster from the California Department of Education English | Spanish | Other Languages
 Other questions regarding student attendance, illness, or re-location, contact your student’s school site office.

Emotional Support and Counseling for Children
 Helping Children After a Wildfire: Tips for Parents and Teachers from the National Association of School Psychologists English | Spanish
 Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network English | Spanish
 Helping Children Cope (categorized by age group) from Ready.gov
 Listen, Protect, Connect - Psychological First Aid from Ready.gov
 For Students and Teachers | Quick Reference for Teachers | Full Teacher Guidelines For Children and Parents Family to Family, Neighbor to Neighbor
 Help Kids Cope App from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
 Ventura County Mental Health Crisis Line - 866-998-2243
 Free phone counseling is available from the Optum Health Critical Incident Response Services at 866-342-6892

 Free Downloadable Children's Book - Trinka and Sam, The Big Fire English | Spanish
 Child Mind Institute: Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (English) and Ayudando a los niños a
afrontar noticias aterradoras (Espanol)
 FEMA & Red Cross: Helping Children Cope with Disaster
 PBS Parents: Talking With Kids About the News

Mental and Emotional Support and Counseling for All Ages
 Ventura County Behavioral Health: (866) 342-6892
 Ventura County Health and Human Services
 American Psychological Association (APA): Recovering from wildfires
 Psychological First Aid for Families Facing Homelessness
 Self-Care during an Emergency, https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/pdf/Coping_with_Disaster.pdf
 Recovery: After Fire, http://nctsn.org/trauma-types/natural-disasters/fires/residential-fires#tabset-tab-5
Tips for Educators
 School Counselor: Help for the Helpers - Caring for Yourself When Assisting Others
 School Counselor: Helping Children Cope - Tips for Parents & Caregivers
 Healing After Trauma Skills A Manual for Professionals, Teachers, and Families Working with Children After
Trauma/Disaster.
 Psychological First Aid for Schools, http://www.nctsn.org/content/psychological-first-aid-schoolspfa

Assistance and Recovery for Fire Victims
 Ventura County Recovers - official recovery updates and resources from County of Ventura
 Human Services Agency Resource Sheet - housing, cash aid, internet, childcare, foster children, seniors
 Rental Housing Assistance from the Ventura County Human Services Agency
 2-1-1 Ventura County - storage, volunteering, donations, childcare, animals, veterans, special needs
 ThomasFireHelp.com - community-based resources, including where to give/receive donations and volunteer
opportunities
 American Red Cross – offers food and shelter
 Catholic Charities – extra help with basic necessities
 Project Understanding – offers food, shelter and tutoring (805) 652-1326
 Food Share (805) 983-7100
 Ventura County Housing Assistance – providing rental assistance for fire victims and other services
 Ventura YMCA: has opened their doors to any resident (must bring ID) from 12-5pm through December 31st
(except December 20th through December 25th when they are closed) to allow them to shower, use their wifi,
use their computers, take a breather, relax, get some food and bottled water, and charge their phones. They
will also have child watch open between the hours of 12-5pm and are allowing families to drop off their
children to run errands or manage necessary tasks resulting from the fire.
 California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES): Assistance and Services for Disaster Recovery (English)
and Recuperacion ante desastres (Espanol)
 FEMA: After the Fire! Returning to Normal (English) and ¡Después del incendio! Retorno a la
normalidad (Espanol)
 PG&E: Safety Tips When You Return Home
 California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES): Assistance and Services for Disaster Recovery (English)
and Recuperacion ante desastres (Espanol)

Replacing Lost Documents:
 California driver’s license: (800) 777-0133, www.dmv.ca.gov
 Green Cards: (800) 375-5283, www.uscis.gov
 Medicare Cards: (800) 772-1213, (TTY) 325-0778, www.ssa.gov/medicare
 Military Records: (866) 272-6272
 Passport: (877) 487-2778, (TTY) 800325-0778, www.travel.state.gov
 Social Security Card: (800) 772-1213, (TTY) (800) 325-0778, www.ssa.gov
 U.S. Savings Bonds: (844) 284-2676, www.treasurydirect.gov
 U.S. Tax Returns: (800) 829-1040, www.irs.gov

Assistance for School Employees
 California Teachers Association Disaster Relief Fund (for both Certificated and Classified employees)
 Disaster Relief Fund Information
 Disaster Relief Application

How to Help Fire Victims
 Donate to the United Way of Ventura County at this link or by texting UWVC to 41444 (you’ll receive a link that
lets you enter an amount). 100% of the donations go directly to a fund created for victims of the Thomas fire.
 Donate to the Ventura County Community Foundation's Ventura Community Disaster Relief Fund
 Sign up to become a Red Cross volunteer at www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer
 ThomasFireHelp.com - offer housing, donate supplies, volunteer