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Rural Voices
Paradise Lost: Impacts Extend Beyond the Disaster Area By Karl Ory
A northern California wildfire offers lessons learned. Last November 8, sparks from a utility line were fanned into a firestorm that engulfed 153,000 acres and burned 13,000 houses in the communities of Paradise, Concow, Magalia and Butte Creek Canyon in Butte County, CA. It was the state’s largest disaster since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Residents fled, but 85 didn’t make it. As the smoke covered northern California for weeks, residents of Sacramento and San Francisco donned masks and breathed Paradise smoke. This is a story of Paradise and environs, but it is also a story of cities like Chico and Oroville, some 20 miles away. The Camp Fire (named after Camp Road) has spawned new organizations and expanded missions for existing groups. It
has spurred an examination of state and federal preparedness, including funding to deal with this disaster and the likelihood of future disasters.
From early shelter to temporary homes The immediate response to the Camp Fire was chaotic. As 52,000 people evacuated throughout the day on November 8, the Red Cross and others set up shelters in churches and at fairgrounds. Parking lots at Walmart and a closed Toys“R”Us store housed hundreds of tents, recreational vehicles (RVs) and pop-up distribution canopies. These facilities took in about 1,500 people. Thousands more went to the homes of family and friends, and to all the motels within 60 miles.
