Red Tape Keeping FEMA Trailers From Butte Fire Victims
CALAVERAS COUNTY (CBS13) — A county backlog is making recovery difficult for people who lost their homes to the Butte Fire.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it's ready to deliver temporary trailers, but red tape is slowing the process.
A melted satellite dish, broken plates and an ash-covered box spring are remnants of items that helped complete a home that once stood on Cedar Way.
"I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel at this point," said Joyce Schroetlin.
The items have been sitting for nearly two months now.
"It's frustrating. It's trying. It takes time," she said. "It's very time consuming. You jump through all of the hoops and hope that everything is going to go right and then you're waiting on the county."
She and David Thomas lost their home in the Butte Fire. Since putting their property on the list for debris removal by the Calaveras County Environmental Health Department in September, stability has been hard to come by.
"I just want to know," Thomas said. "I don't care when it is. Just so I know and I can plan my life. I'm sitting here waiting."
The Calaveras County Realtors Association gifted a motorhome to the couple, which they have just recently been able to get up and running for them to live in for the last week.
Some added relief came when FEMA called with a trailer to deliver, but that comfort was short-lived.
"They were ready to pull it in and then the county said, 'Nope. You've got to have 150 feet or your property cleared.'" she said.
FEMA trailers are required to have 150 feet of clearance from any burned structure. County spokesman Jason Boetzer says it's for safety reasons.
"Our main concern is protecting the public," he said. "There's heavy metals, asbestos in the ash. And we caution people, that this is done in a process that protects ourselves, our neighbors and our community."
Officials say properties that pose public health and environmental concerns take priority. With 20 crews in the field, they've cleaned about 30 properties since Oct. 1, and officials are quick to point out the process isn't quick or easy.
"I ask the public to be patient. It's a process," he said. "We've communicated that in the beginning. I wish that we could have every property cleaned up as quickly as yesterday."
But with 686 properties on the list to help, the couple is bracing for the harsh reality the next few months may bring.
"I just realized recently that no, I'm not going to be in a warm home on Thanksgiving," she said. "Probably not even for Christmas is what it's sounding like and it's sad."
