LYONS, Oregon — It's hard to forget what we saw two years ago when people lost their homes in wildfires in the Santiam Canyon and other parts of the state. Today many wildfire survivors are still rebuilding.
KGW checked back in with a retired couple who lost their dream home in Lyons. They now have a new home and they want others to know about grant money that could help with rebuilding.
In the spring of 2021, KGW spoke to Dennis and Debbie Willer on their property in Lyons. They were in the middle of construction after the wildfire in 2020 destroyed their dream retirement home.
“It was a tough trail to walk. It was tough. But we were blessed all along the way through companies, friends, neighbors, friends of friends. It was amazing,” said Dennis.
Equally amazing is how fast they were able to get back into the Santiam Canyon.
“On the anniversary of the fire, September eighth of 2021 is when we were able to move back into our home,” Dennis said.
They credit good insurance, care from the people around them and being proactive about getting help.
Debbie showed off a glass jar filled with scraps of paper that had names written on them. The names belong to all the people who have helped them along the way.
For the Willers, one piece of help came in the form of a fire hardening grant. The program is a state partnership with eight counties (Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Marion) meant to help home and business owners rebuild with more fire-resistant materials.
“The check that we got a from the county was for $3,950,” said Dennis.
They applied for the grant and got the check after their home was already built but people can also apply while in the building phase.
The Willers qualified for two of the largest grant amounts for fire-resistant roofing and siding.
There's a whole list of things people can do in order to get money back through the fire hardening grant. Thousands of dollars are up for grabs depending on what fire-resistant modifications are made, ranging from roofing improvements to ventilation as well as window and skylight protection.
Dennis said he wishes they had known about this kind of help sooner so they could have incorporated more fire-resistant components into their home and received grant funding for it.
While there were rumblings of a grant designated for fire hardening efforts, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services announced the new grant program in July.
Still, the couple is worried too few people know about the grant. They themselves had no idea until they took initiative and reached out to the Santiam Integration Team, one of the many groups helping wildfire survivors, and asked the organization about what additional monetary help was still out there.
The Willers want people to know there's still help and money available to help wildfire survivors.
“People just need to be proactive and say, ‘I still need help. You know, how can I get help? How can you help me?,” said Debbie.
They know people are still struggling and there are people still in all stages of rebuilding. For them, the key to getting through the hard times and getting back home, was to keep moving forward.
“You'll get there you'll get there,” said Dennis.
A Santiam Integration Team representative confirmed money for the grant is coming from the state but is being dispersed through county building departments.
To learn more and apply, visit the Fire Hardening Grant Program page.