Wildfire Recovery Spotlight: David Simpson

Prior to Labor Day 2020, David Simpson of Leaburg had heard it before. Living in the McKenzie Valley, this wasn't his first time receiving a Level 1 Be Ready notification that there was a wildfire nearby. So, when he got a new one, he kind of dismissed it.

“I'm just like, oh, whatever. We had fires up there before," he said. But this time was different.

Soon came the Level 3 Go Now notification. That's when he and his wife knew they had to wake up their two sons and daughter and get to safety.

So, they headed 20 miles down the road to a grocery store parking lot, where others were also escaping what was later named the Holiday Farm Fire. Simpson and his family ended up sleeping in the vehicle that night and for the next few weeks, they stayed in a motel.

His wife had a friend who was a volunteer firefighter, and they asked him to check on the house in the chance it escaped the fire. My “wife called me while I was at work, and of course she's upset and said, 'Yeah, the house is gone.' "

For the next year and half, the family stayed in a travel trailer until they were able to use some insurance money to buy a new manufactured home to replace the one they lost in the fire.

The difference between the travel trailer and home was huge. “So, when I got into the house and I'm walking from the front door to the back, you know, it's almost like a road trip – have to stop and take a break because it's such a long walk," Simpson said, joking. “It's just so much bigger."

Thanks to an award from the ReOregon Homeowner Assistance and Reconstruction Program's (HARP) Reimbursement pathway, Simpson received disaster recovery funds, which enabled him to recoup some of the expenses he incurred to get his new home and have it placed on his property.

“I was very surprised, definitely excited," Simpson said of learning that he was approved for HARP after the McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group helped him apply. “I wouldn't think that, you know, something like that would actually happen."

Simpson encourages anyone who hasn't yet applied for HARP reimbursement to do so as soon as possible. He said even he wasn't going to apply at first, but after thinking about it some more, he figured what could it hurt?

“Just do it," he advised other survivors. If they don't qualify, “then they're in the same position now, but if they say yes, then that's gonna push you forward."

To learn more about HARP and other ReOregon programs, visit re.oregon.gov or call the ReOregon Call Center at 877-510-6800 or 541-250-0938.

OHCS wants to ensure that everyone has access to its information and programs. If you would like this information in a different language, please email Language.Access@hcs.oregon.gov.