Three Months Later, FEMA Is Still Scrambling to House Thousands of Camp Fire Survivors

It's been three months since the deadly Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise and surrounding areas, and thousands of survivors are still waiting for secure housing.

In its most recent estimate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week said about 13,000 people were still in need of stable housing.

Approximately 14,000 residences were lost to the massive blaze that scorched more than 150,000 acres, making it the most destructive wildfire in modern California history in terms of structures destroyed.

“We continue to work with eligible survivors to see what the best housing solutions are for each family," FEMA spokesman Ken Higginbotham said on Tuesday.

Two-hundred FEMA trailers are currently inhabited by survivors, he said, and 67 additional trailers, as well as 187 larger structures, are being prepared for people to move in to.

The agency said it has also located hookups for more than 300 trailers and mobile homes at sites in eight counties, including Butte, Glenn, Mendocino, Sacramento, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba.

Meanwhile, the nearby city of Chico is still struggling to accommodate the inundation of Paradise residents. That includes those survivors who had initially been allowed to camp out on their properties, but were told this week by authorities that they had to vacate during the lengthy waste and removal process.

“There’s a significant impact to our community," said Chico Mayor Randall Stone, noting that the number of people displaced within Chico itself could be close to 20,000.

Beyond basic housing issues, Chico is also facing other challenges related to real estate. Paradise businesses that were destroyed are looking for new places to set up shop, while schools need spaces to hold classes. And in some cases, Paradise residents who owned rental properties in Chico are evicting their tenants to make space for themselves, fueling even more displacement.

"You have a whole new set of people that were not burned out, that don't have insurance because there was no cataclysmic impact and they need to find a place to live," said Stone. "So the trickle down is really, really devastating."

The large population influx has also resulted in major traffic issues in and around Chico, including a sharp uptick in congestion and accidents.

Stone said the city is asking the state for $12 million to help with traffic mitigation systems that can better accommodate the current flood of vehicles.

Polly Stryker and Lily Jamali contributed to this report.