Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP Co-hosts Informational Workshop For Thomas Fire & Montecito Mudslide Victims

Posted on January 27, 2018

Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP has partnered with respected Santa Barbara law firm Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP to host a free, informational community workshop for Santa Barbara County residents affected by the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides in Montecito. The event will be held on Tuesday, January 30 at the Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and will be co-hosted by Cotchett, Pitre & McCathy LLP and Walkup Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger.

The meeting is intended to serve as a resource for wildfire and mudslide victims seeking guidance on their road to recovery, with reserved seating available at Eventbrite.

Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell attorney David Grokenberger and his family were lucky to escape their Montecito home in the early hours of January 9 as a nearly 5-foot wall of mudflow crashed into the north wall of their two-story residence. Water, mud and debris filled the first-floor of their home and blew out the front door, forcing the family and their dog Molly, to seek safety upstairs. Their home on Hot Springs Road, along with the majority of their neighbors, is a total loss. David will share his first-hand experience of the disaster and in dealing with his insurance carrier, State Farm, at the meeting.

Additional presenters include Santa Barbara realtor Nancy Hamilton with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and local builder Darrell Becker with Becker Studios, who will address the topics of rehousing and rebuilding, respectively. Insurance and legal experts will round-out the panel to discuss topics including, but not limited to:

• Evacuation and displacement
• FEMA – Applying for disaster assistance
• Insurance issues – How and when to make a claim
• What to do if you are uninsured or underinsured
• What to do about your mortgage if your home was destroyed
• How to address your property tax if your home was destroyed
• Clearing debris and environmental hazards from your property
• Concerns of additional erosion and landslides when the rains return
• Potential claims against Southern California Edison and/or other third parties

Attendees will also be given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the meeting.

“Our goal is to initiate a dialogue that is comfortable and without commitment so that informed decisions can be made,” emphasized Mr. Grokenberger.

Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara is located at 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara.

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