LAGUNA BEACH : Aid Deadline Passes for Victims of Fire

Six months after a firestorm swept through this city, the opportunity for fire victims to apply for federal and state disaster aid came to a close Tuesday.

“More than 1,000 people have come through the doors here,” said Diane Turner, a spokeswoman for the state’s Office of Emergency Services, which helps operate the Community Disaster Recovery and Preparedness Center on North Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.

Turner said the center seemed to give residents “psychological comfort” while helping them get financial aid.

“I’ve had people just walk in and say, ‘Oh, you’re still here,’ and then walk back out,” she said. “They’re just so pleased we’re still here.”

In fact, the state and federal relief center will remain open until June 17 to help residents prepare for other possible emergencies. The community-based Fire Relief Coalition next door also continues to operate. Director Marsha Bode said this is a tough time for fire survivors.

“This is the six-month anniversary of the fire,” Bode said. “Some people do seem to be more frustrated and more depressed. I call it the ‘hard middle’ because the initial adrenaline has stopped and the end is not in sight at all. . . . This is where we’re just slogging through, day after day.”

Overall, 978 people applied for Small Business Administration loans to replace homes or other personal property, and 581 who were rejected for SBA loans filed applications for state grants to help cover their losses.

More than 400 homes were damaged or destroyed here in the Oct. 27 fire.

Turner said she noticed “a slight flurry” of activity at the center in the last several weeks as residents who had been approved for federal loans filed 90-day extensions because of uncertainties.

Last month, several geologists told the city that there may be an ancient landslide under about 50 homes in the Mystic Hills neighborhood.

That jolted residents eager to rebuild and prompted the city to stop issuing building permits for that area and to hire a consulting firm to study the land.

Residents with questions about the status of their loan or grant applications can use the Community Disaster Recovery and Preparedness Center’s phone to make inquiries.