Tent city planned for rural East County

Local emergency officials announced at a community meeting in Dulzura Tuesday evening that a "tent city" to temporarily house displaced residents would be erected in the coming days across from the Barrett Junction Cafe in East County's backcountry.

Stacy Magoffin, Mountain Empire program manager with the Community Emergency Response Team, said Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Temecula, was organizing the makeshift housing, which also may include showers, bathrooms, washing machines and dryers, and sleeping quarters for 200.

Magoffin told a group of about 50 people gathered for nightly meetings at 6 p.m. at the cafe that security would be provided at the site and that everyone in the area is welcome.

"If people are burned out, they can stay there so they can be closer to their homes as the clean up," Magoffin said.

Officials with Hollingsworth's office told Magoffin and others that the tent city may already be on its way from the East Coast and could arrive in the next 24 to 48 hours.

- Janine Zuniga, staff writer