After losing their homes, Paradise residents are being pushed off their land

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/06/paradise-wildfire-california-fema

Dani Anguiano
Wed 6 Feb 2019 06.00 EST
Last modified on Wed 6 Feb 2019 13.36 EST

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.

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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.”

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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.

Paradise had no choice, said councilman Michael Zuccolillo. “I felt like we had a financial gun to our heads.”

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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.

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