Survivors of a wildfire that obliterated an entire California town have been told they cannot continue to camp on their burnt-out lots and must leave.
Officials in Paradise, which was swept by a blaze that killed at least 86 in November, passed an ordinance on Monday that will make it illegal for residents to live on property that hasn’t been cleared of burned debris. Crews began cleaning up the remnants of more than 14,000 destroyed homes last week, and the process could take at least a year.
More than 100 residents who returned to the town in December and January will have to relocate.
“If there was any other place to go, we would be there,” said Anastasia Skinner, a mother of four. After their home burnt down, she bought an RV with her husband on the understanding that they would be able to continue to live in Paradise.
“They said we could come back – that’s why we bought the RV. Now we have to spend more money we don’t have,” Skinner said.
“I didn’t think it was possible for them to kick us off our own land.” (It can't happen here)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) recently warned the town that if it allowed people to live on properties that had not been cleared of debris and hazardous material it could lose the $1.7bn allocated toward cleanup costs. Fema said its decision to fund the cleanup was based on a warning from the Butte county health department over the potential for widespread toxic exposures and threats to public health.
“It was a terrible position to be put in,” said Jody Jones, the town’s mayor. “We can’t give up billions of dollars in cleanup money or our town will look like a war zone for 20 years.”
At a public meeting on Monday, frustrated and sometimes teary-eyed residents questioned and criticized town leadership about the plan. Some said they would refuse to leave, and would face fines.
The mayor said the town was not trying to criminalize people for living on their own properties, and is working to find a place for residents to take their RVs and trailers. It hopes to prioritize cleaning their lots first so they can return as quickly as possible.
The town’s police chief, Eric Reinbold, said his department has no plans to participate in enforcement related to the new ordinance. (Yeah, that's totally believable)
Paradise had no choice, said councilman Michael Zuccolillo. “I felt like we had a financial gun to our heads.”
About 90% of Paradise homes were lost, and many residents have struggled to find affordable options in a county that had an extremely limited housing supply even before the fire. Chico, the closest city to Paradise, had the top real estate market in the country in December in terms of interested buyers, according to Realtor.com.
Late last month, the Red Cross announced it would close its last remaining emergency shelter at the Chico fairgrounds, which had been open since the blaze began.
Cassandra Walling, a lifelong Paradise resident who lost her home and business in the fire, said she was staying in a trailer on her property while she waits for her new home, provided by Fema, to be completed.
“I’m staying because it’s all I’ve known my entire life,” she said.
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Originally Posted by angelatc
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