RANCHO BERNARDO - Some 200 residents of Rancho Bernardo, one of the areas hardest hit by the county's devastating wildfires, met Monday night for a town hall meeting with officials including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to discuss insurance and other needs of fire victims.

At the meeting, held at the Oaks North Community Center, Poizner announced several steps he has taken to streamline the process of filing insurance claims:

• declaring an "insurance emergency," which allows out-of-state claims adjusters to come in as additional manpower to help residents;

• creating a consumer services "SWAT team" of insurance experts; and

• forming an insurance fraud task force to focus on scams targeting fire victims.

The commissioner also told residents that the department will aid in the adjustment of claims by residents whose homes were underinsured.

"My goal is to make sure these claims are paid as soon as possible," Poizner told the crowd, which included several dozen residents who lost their homes.

The damage caused by the fires - whose countywide destruction left seven people dead and more than 1,600 buildings damaged - could reach up to $1 billion, spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns said.

"We are expecting that when the smoke clears, this could be the largest natural disaster since the Northridge earthquake, in terms of monetary damage," Kerns said.

Insurance fraud by unlicensed contractors or public adjusters already has resulted in two arrests, Poizner added, and "we will continue to arrest people and put them in jail if they rip off the victims of this fire."

John Standish, bureau chief of the insurance department's fraud division, urged residents to check that contractors are licensed with the state board and to report suspicious activity by calling the insurance department's consumer hotline at (800) 927-HELP.

"(Scammers) come in and con these victims," he said before the meeting. "If someone lost their home, they're typically still in shock. They need to be careful."

Poizner also advised residents to contact their insurance companies quickly, and for evacuees to file claims to cover room and board.

Among the attending residents were Hayley and Scott Courier, whose Lancashire Way home survived the fire but was rendered uninhabitable by smoke damage. Neighbors' homes on both sides fell to the blaze, they said.

"We're here to get as much information as we can," Hayley Courier said. "At the moment, everything's so new."

Fire victims seeking aid may visit "one-stop shop" centers set up in Rancho Bernardo, Fallbrook, Ramona and Rancho San Diego that are staffed with federal, state and local government officials; representatives of nonprofit organizations; and insurance companies.

Also, on Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order suspending the one-week waiting period for obtaining unemployment insurance and waiving fees for replacing vital documents.

The order asks the Franchise Tax Board and Board of Equalization to help people whose homes were damaged or lost to file tax extension applications.

For more information, visit the state insurance department's Web site at www.insurance.ca.gov or call the consumer hotline at (800) 927-HELP.

- Contact staff writer Sarah Wilkins at (760) 740-3524 or swilkins@nctimes.com.