A year ago today our lives were changed forever when the Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, swept through and destroyed most of our little foothill community. If you haven't read my family's Camp Fire story already, you can read it here. Even a full year later, it still feels so surreal to me, like a bad dream I might eventually wake up from. While the rest of the world has moved on and shifted their focus onto other topics and other disasters, we living here, in and around the burn scar, are all still dealing with the aftermath of such enormous devastation.
Living through an event like this, seeing everyone you know loose everything, knowing how close you and everyone you know came to not escaping that day, changes you. It's a year later and I still wake up in the middle of the night, panicked, wondering where I am some nights. The tiniest bit of smoke in the air gets me throwing our belongings into bags, just incase we have to leave in a hurry. My kids still tell me they miss our old house and that they miss our pets almost daily. My 8 year old has especially struggled this year. So many of her friends moved away after the fire, she lost her church friends and her Sunday school class. We don't see my parents every week like we used to and my mother in law and her husband moved out of state. It's been a huge adjustment for her, for all of us really.
Most of us fire survivors are living in towns that are unfamiliar, there are many still in temporary housing, RVs, and cars. We're having to commute long distances to get to jobs and schools, and we're spread apart from our families and friends. My family is still living in the apartment we moved into shortly after the fire late last fall. My husband is commuting an hour each way to work, in a state with astronomically high gas prices (it was $4.39 a gallon here last time I checked). We have to drive 1-2 hours to see anyone we know and it's an hour to most of our homeschool meet ups. And we're luckier than many. There are still families living out of motels and staying on friend's sofas. There are even people still living out of their cars. The Tiny Houses for Camp Fire Survivors organization currently has over 100 people on it's waitlist for tiny homes. Unfortunately, recovery is still a long way off for many, but things are slowly getting there. If you'd like to help the recovery effort, consider donating to Tiny Homes For Camp Fire Survivors. They're doing some great work!
On to the more positive part of this story: rebuilding!
My parents and my grandma are back home on their lot, living in an RV. Their lot was cleared of debris, and soil testing came back as clean back in March. Luckily the septic inspection showed the septic system was still intact, so we didn't have to replace it. Their water was cleared as clean about 2 months ago, but they are still using bottled water for drinking and cooking just to be safe, as much of the town's water system is contaminated with benzene. Prior to that, they were having to truck in all their water. Since they can't afford to hire a general contractor, my family is doing the majority of the rebuild ourselves. So far we've only been able to break ground on the garage and smaller builds that don't require permits, like fences and sheds. We are currently still waiting on the town to approve my dad's plans for the house before we can get started on it. They should be getting their permit any day now. We were originally hoping to be almost done with the house by this time, but my dad's original plans weren't accepted because of an issue with the square footage, so he had to go back and redesign and then resubmit.
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| My parents lot before and after it was cleared of debris |
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| My parents lot as it looks today |
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| Working on the new garage |
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| Working on the new garage |
In addition to my parents, there are about 2,000 of our town's 26,000 former residents living back in Paradise, and several thousand more in the adjoining community of Magalia. Every time I come to town there are more new houses being built and more businesses opening back up. My favorite pizza place just reopened a few weeks ago. Almost all the lots have been cleared of debris now. While the mark of the fire is still very visible in the many damaged trees and empty lots, you only see a few burned cars and piles of charred metal around town these days. According to the Paradise Recovers site, as of October 21st, 156 applications for residential building permits have been received by the county. 79 permits have actually been issued, and 2 homes are completed.
Every time I see a new house getting started or even just a new family home on their lot in an RV, it makes my heart happy. Our little community is going to survive this! Today, to mark the one year anniversary, there are a number of events happening around town, including the unveiling of a phoenix erected from the keys of houses lost to the fire, created by local artist Jess Mercer. I look forward to seeing it next time we are in town! There will also be ceremonies today in honor of those who lost their lives. I invite you to join us in 85 seconds of silence at 11:08 am PST, today November 8th, in remembrance of the 85 people lost to the fire.
As for my family's future, I am honestly not sure what we are doing yet. We didn't own our home, so there's nothing for us to rebuild, and no lot to return to. For a long time, I was hopeful that an opportunity to return home would present itself to us, but realistically, I know it's going to be a long time before we can afford to return to Paradise. We are not happy living where we are currently, so we are beginning to seriously consider moving to a state with a more affordable cost of living and better opportunities for our family. It's terrifying for me to think about leaving. I've lived in this area my entire life and always planned on raising my kids in Paradise near my parents and my grandma. It's heartbreaking to think that my toddler will hardly remember living in Paradise and that my baby may never call it home. I loved living in Paradise and never had any real desire to leave, but I guess life takes us in unexpected directions sometimes. Who knows what adventures are out there waiting for us, so I will try to keep moving forward with as much positivity as I can.
It is so nice to read an update. It is so sad that so many lives have changed - including your own families - but I love your sharing that so many are able to start rebuilding.
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