Today is the deadline for LA fire survivors to join government debris clearing program

April 15 is the deadline for property owners whose homes were lost in the Eaton or Palisades fires to join a government program to clear the ash and debris from their properties. The deadline is at midnight.

That process is being led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has contracted more than 3,000 workers for the job. So far, those crews have cleared more than 1,800 properties, according to an Army Corps tracker.

Most eligible homeowners have signed up for that program, according to a county website tracking the process. Colonel Eric Swenson, who is leading the operation, told LAist he anticipates clean-up for those who sign up by April 15 will be completed by the end of summer.

As of Thursday, a spokesperson for L.A. County Public Works said around 500 eligible land parcels had yet to opt in or out of the government program. Those that "opt out" have until June 30 to have private contractors clear their debris. More than a thousand people have taken that route so far.

Those who don't make a decision will be responsible for handling their own debris clean-up, but those that opt in can still remove themselves from the government program at any point before their lot gets cleared. Officials say they want everyone to make a choice by the deadline, which FEMA has already extended once.

What does debris removal entail?

The Army Corps and L.A. County estimate that up to 4.5 million tons of fire damaged debris needs to be removed in this phase of recovery — enough to fill up to 150,000 dump trucks.

The first step of signing up is filling out a "right of entry" form that L.A. County processes and then hands off to the Army Corps. From there, the contract workers hired by the Army Corps test the plot for hazards, remove any asbestos, clear the ash and debris and remove the home's foundation if the owner requests it.

LAist joined for a recent demonstration and has a step-by-step guide to this process.

What about insurance?

L.A. County officials say a big factor in decision making around debris removal is insurance. The government program is intended to be free, but if a homeowner has insurance coverage for debris removal, the government will try to recoup some of that money once the cleanup is complete.

The county's fire recovery website says property owners can use their insurance money to do cleanup that is not covered by the government program, and that the county will only collect insurance money that remains after that process is complete.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' contractors are not removing structures like pools, patios and driveways from properties, meaning some homeowners may need to hire a private contractor to finish the job.

Who is eligible?

Residential property owners are eligible for debris removal, as are owners of condos and multi-family buildings, as long as the owner lives in one of the units. The county says other properties will be considered for the government program on a case-by-case basis.

I've opted in. How do I know when it's my turn?

Once your right of entry form has been accepted by the county and passed over to the Army Corps, you're in line for your property to be cleared. The Army Corps says it will give property owners a call 72 hours before their debris clearing is set to begin. You can also come to the site for this process.

Swenson said that at first, crews were having to move around neighborhoods rather than going house-by-house because land parcels were at different stages in the process. But he said as "right of entry" forms are cleared and asbestos abatement gets finished, he'll be able to more efficiently line up homes for clean-up.

" It is our goal to get these properties cleared as quickly and safely as possible so that these homeowners have an opportunity to rebuild as quickly as possible," he said.

Once debris removal is complete, homeowners can begin the next part of the lengthy process of recovery: getting a building permit.