COUNTYWIDE : Laguna Beach Opens Disaster Aid Center

A special community service center will open today in Laguna Beach to assist the city’s beleaguered residents with applying for disaster aid and preparing themselves for rainstorms.

The center, at 664 N. Coast Highway, will have a staff representing federal, state and local agencies to counsel residents about disaster relief options, such as government grants and loans.

The center will also offer publications, videos and advice on flood and mudslide dangers, said Marty Zucker, a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman. Neighborhood groups will be invited for workshops on precautions, and safety checklists will be available for residents.

The disaster application center on Forest Avenue that had been serving Laguna residents since the days following the October wildfire closed Friday and will be moved into the new building, Zucker said.

“This new facility is a place for people to go to get help understanding and applying for the assistance available,” Zucker said. “But it’s also going to be a bulletin-board, Town Hall recovery center-type of thing too.”

Besides providing instruction to help residents prepare for rainstorms, the center’s greatest benefit will be leading residents through often daunting assistance applications, said FEMA spokeswoman Cory LaBianca.

“What I’ve seen happen is some people will be turned down for one form of assistance and then get discouraged and not even try the other options,” said LaBianca, who worked at the temporary Laguna center that processed 708 applications for aid after the fires that destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes.

“Hopefully, we can make that process easier for people by sitting down with them and going through the whole process with them,” LaBianca said. “We know this must be difficult, especially after what these people have gone through.”

The new center is in the Boat Canyon Shopping Center, near the intersection of Myrtle Street and North Coast Highway. Officials said they expect the center to remain open for six months, but they added that community need will determine its actual tenure.

The center will be open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be closed for the holidays on Dec. 24, 25 and 31, and Jan. 1. For more information, call the Community Disaster Recovery and Preparedness Center at (714) 376-2500.