Update (Jan. 26):
Officials in Butte County, California are helping at-least 120 wildfire survivors who are living at a shelter that’s set to close Jan. 31 find housing.
“The goal is to work with all of the people to get out by January,” said Casey Hatcher, a spokesperson for Butte County.
Those individuals are living inside shelters or recreational vehicles at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico. They were displaced by the devastating Camp Fire in November 2018.
This week Wells Fargo donated more than $3 million to help residents and businesses affected by the Camp Fire, the Associated Press reported. $1 million will go toward helping evacuees staying at the Red Cross shelter to find housing.
The funds will help subsidize rent for up to 300 families for up to six months and will help to temporarily house seniors and workers, according to the AP.
The American Red Cross has assigned case workers to the survivors to help determine a recovery plan, said Cindy Huge, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross.
A recovery plan could involve moving to temporary housing, moving in with family or friends, moving to a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer (FEMA) or to an offsite privately owned trailer, or renting an apartment or home.
Vicki Greene is a disabled evacuee who lost her home in Magalia during the fire, she has been living in shelters for months.
“FEMA and the Red Cross, in my personal experience has been really good,” Greene said.
Caseworkers recently helped Greene into an apartment and community for the elderly in Vacaville, about 110 miles from her home.
Those who have been assigned a recovery plan have been given a 48-hour notice to move forward with their plan and leave the fairgrounds.
Michael Alston is a Camp Fire survivor whose been living in an RV with his wife and son at the fairgrounds for five weeks.
“We’re getting different answers from all these different agencies, Alston said. “Or no answers at all and it’s not really fair to the people that are staying in the fairgrounds that have nowhere to go.”
There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the closure date of the shelter operations, Alston said.
On Friday, his family was given a 48-hour notice to leave the property, Alston said.
“I got a 10-year-old and my wife and I,” Alston said. “And you know if they kick us out of the fairgrounds, I don’t know where we’re gonna go.”
Earlier this week, Butte County officials announced that the shelter would close on Jan. 31. However, it was later announced that shelter operations have been extended until March 15, according to officials with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
“I've been able to confirm that shelter operations at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds has been extended to 3/15,” Cal OES spokesperson Shawn Boyd said in a statement.
Cal OES is sensitive to the needs of those staying at the shelter so this is a big relief to everyone, Boyd said.
On Saturday, Hatcher clarified that the March 15 date is only meant as a “contingency plan.” She refused to comment on what would happen if people remained at the shelter after Jan. 31.
Original Story: January 24, 2019.
CHICO, Calif. — In an update Wednesday, The California Office of Emergency Services confirmed that the lease at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds has been extended through March 15.
But after further interviews with the Red Cross and Cal OES, it has been made clear that this is solely a safeguard and that the shelter will still close at the end of this month, on Jan. 31.
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"Emergency shelters typically aren’t intended to stay open for long periods of time — that’s why organizations involved in relief efforts strive to help people find more suitable accommodations if their homes are left unlivable after a disaster," Red Cross said in a statement to ABC10 on Wednesday.
The statement reads in full:
"After a disaster, as the needs of a community change and as more long-term housing solutions are identified, the Red Cross works with local officials to coordinate shelter closures.
Emergency shelters typically aren’t intended to stay open for long periods of time—that’s why organizations involved in relief efforts strive to help people find more suitable accommodations if their homes are left unlivable after a disaster.
We assure you, the Red Cross will continue to provide shelter support to people who lost their homes due to the Camp Fire; and we have the ability to extend our sheltering operations at Silver Dollar Fairgrounds.
Red Cross caseworkers are connecting one-on-one with people to create recovery plans unique to their needs, help them navigate paperwork and connect with aid from other community agencies. We continue to work together with federal, state and local partners to make sure each family has a plan for their recovery."
As stated above, Red Cross will continue to provide shelter and support to survivors of the Camp fire and caseworkers are meeting one-on-one with families to help them figure out their next steps.
For more information and resources, visit ButteCountyRecovers.Org.
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