Oroville leaders focus on saving ash-filled drainage system

The Oroville City Council voted Wednesday morning to declare a local emergency, due to impacts from the Bear Fire.

A top priority on the city's list is saving its ash-filled drainage system.

The emergency declaration could be a lifesaver for many oroville homeowners -- new at 5 -- action news now reporter krisitan lopez joins us live, krisitan are many people in the community concerned about the threat of flooding?

Yes they are.

I spoke with one man who went through the camp fire and also had to evacuate last week during the bear fire& he remembers the flooding in paradise and is worried he'll have to go through it again.

Mark rehburg/camp fire and bear fire survivor: i remember getting back up there when the rainy season started, to look at our property to see what was left and there was nothing left just a big mud puddle.

And i saw all of the water that came down the hill&.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the same thing here.

Mark rehburg and his wife jodi lost*everythin* during the camp fire.

They eventually rebuilt their lives in oroville.

But last weekã the fast moving flames of the bear fire forced them to evacuate their new home... mark rehburg/camp fire and bear fire survivor:" i closed the door here thinking, "this is it.

I won't see it again.

But we got lucky this time."

The couple's home is still standing and only suffered smoke damages.

But rehburg says he's still worried about flooding&.

Mark rehburg/camp fire and bear fire survivor: where we are at, the hills are behind us, and there's a canal behind us we are worried it will get inundated with the ash and overflow its banks and that kind of thing into our house.

They should be proactive as far as getting in there and scraping out a lot of the ash..

The city of oroville says getting rid of the ash is one of the city's top priorities.

Mayor chuck reynolds: we need to remove the contaminents before we have a rain and it escapes to the river.

We dont want to compound the issue.

The city declared a local emergency thursday which now allows them to apply for aid to recover from the disaster.

Rehburg says he knows exactly what it's like to have to start all over and shared this message with fellow fire survivors.

Mark rehburg/camp fire and bear fire survivor: keep your head up, it gets better with time, but that's just it.

It takes time.

Right now the mayor tells me remember getting back up there when the rainy season started, to look at our property to see what was left and there was nothing left just a big mud puddle.

And i saw all of the water that came down the hill&.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the same thing here.

Mark rehburg and his wife jodi lost*everythin* during the camp fire.

They eventually rebuilt their lives in oroville.

But last weekã the fast moving flames of the bear fire forced them to evacuate their new home... mark rehburg/camp fire and bear fire survivor:" i closed the door here thinking, "this is it.

I won't see it again.

But we got lucky this time."

The couple's home is still standing and only suffered smoke damages.

But rehburg says he's still worried about flooding&.

Marn - sag survivo your head up, it gets better with time, but that's just it.

It takes time.