Some evacuated Lake County residents allowed to return home

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. (KTVU) -- One week after the devastating Valley Fire, residents of Middletown will be allowed to return home beginning Saturday Sept. 19 at noon.

It's a huge step, evacuees say, in moving forward.

But for those whose neighborhoods are still off-limits, the wait continues.

"I'm going in on my own. They can arrest me, I don't care," exasperated resident Brian Breeden told KTVU at the Calistoga Fairgrounds, still waiting for word on when Hidden Valley Lake would reopen.

"There's no damage, power lines are up, everything is fine," declared Breeden, showing KTVU video of his street, where flames threatened but did not consume his house.

"See it? Perfect condition!" he exclaimed, angry that after six days, authorities are still keeping him away.

"It's too much: buying clothes, sleeping in a barn, a sleeping bag. I'm done with it; I'm going home!" said Breeden.

Steps away, mental health counselors say they are hearing rising frustration among evacuees who need to restore some sort of normalcy in their lives.

"That's a normal process they're going through, " explained counselor Stephen Rios, "and I would be angry too, frustrated, feeling I'm tired, I'm cold, all those things."

Rios was helping lead a support group for evacuees to talk about their trauma.
In the early days after the fire, people started out stunned, even euphoric, they'd survived, and bonded by the experience.

Then they were bolstered by the mountain of support that poured in for them.
But as attention fades, Rios says it will be important that outreach doesn't.

"From here on out, we've got to continue to support them, we can't go away," he insisted.

Across from the support group, children busied themselves on the floor with a variety of donated toys.

"Even though he's only three, he still talks about it, how he lost his house, and all of his toys are gone," observed mom Elizabeth Shehla, watching over her son Mikey.

Mikey saw his Cobb house starting to burn as his family drove away.

But in the shelter, he's happy in the moment.

Wearing new sneakers and enjoying new toys, he knows his little brother, mom and dad are nearby.

"As long as we are happy around him, they help us stay happy," Swehla told KTVU. "And I'm so grateful for them. They help us see the big picture and what's important."

With three meals a day and an abundance of snacks, a running joke at this camp, is that everyone is going to gain weight during their stay.

"We have plenty of use for volunteers, we welcome volunteers," reminded Linda Davis, director of the Center for Volunteer and Non-Profit Leadership, as she minded the entry gate where donations and volunteers arrive.

Earlier in the week, tension erupted when the Red Cross turned away volunteers and told some they were no longer needed.

Davis says the Red Cross may be fully staffed, but it is in charge of sheltering only.

Help is still needed in other areas: sorting and organizing donations, clean-up, and animal services.

Because of the deluge of donations, and shrinking space, future loads will be re-directed off-site to the Calistoga Beverage Company located at 865 Silverado Trail North. They will be stored until Lake County households can use them. There's just too much to use now.

"It says good things about humanity," smiled Davis. "And when we were unloading the new pillows, to see someone pick up the pillow and the blanket, just breaks your heart."

A wonderful find is enough to keep a smile going.

"Brand new Harley Davidson boots!" crowed evacuee Joline "Tuba" Burnside, as she showed off donated footwear that fit perfectly.

Burnside told KTVU her rented home in Anderson Springs burned to the ground.

She had lived there only four months, after rebounding from three years of homelessness, finally getting her possessions out of storage, only to have them destroyed.

"I cry every day, about every two hours," she admitted, "but not over things. Sometimes it's something simple like a person calling to say 'I love you'".

Stories of strength abound throughout the evacuation center.

An array of funds have been set up, some them based locally, to help victims with future needs and reimburse service organizations who have depleted their budgets feeding and caring for the evacuees.

The Mendo-Lake Credit Union and the Redwood Credit Union are both administering funds. The website LoveLakeCounty.org is an online hub for information on how to help.