Two months after the start of the Thomas Fire, the road to recovery for the fire victims is just beginning. The process can be overwhelming as victims work to rebuild from the largest wildfire in California history.

The Midtown Ventura Community Council meeting on Thursday, February 8, will hear about the recovery efforts from the fire that destroyed more than 600 structures in Ventura alone. The 7 pm meeting is in Cooper Hall at Grace Church, 65 MacMillan Avenue.

Ventura’s Community Development Director Jeff Lambert will speak on the next steps in the recovery process. City planners are bracing for a wave of new-home construction applications as residents receive insurance payments and begin to rebuild.

To help streamline and expedite the rebuilding process, a working group of architectural professionals started meeting a few days after the brushfire broke out on December 4. Architect Laura Dunbar will discuss where the group is in the process and the basic concepts they plan to present to city leaders.

The Ventura Police Department will present its monthly crime update for Midtown Ventura.

The MVCC is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 for the preservation, enhancement and revitalization of the Midtown Ventura.