WILDFIRE: The Talc of Two California Communities.

• Author: Dowell, Scott

What happens when an entire town is devastated by wildfire and the survivors move to a nearby city overnight?

That is the question the Town of Paradise and the City of Chico have responded to daily since November 8,2018.

On November 8, 2018, at 6:33 a.m., the Camp Fire was ignited by Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) work crews in the Feather River Canyon located approximately 90 miles northeast of Sacramento, California. The fire quickly spread with the aid of 50-mph winds, and within six hours had destroyed much of the Town of Paradise and several smaller mountain ridge communities located 26 miles away from the fire's origin. More than 30,000 residents fled their homes and businesses in less than four hours to avoid the fire. Tragically, in those few short hours, 85 individuals lost their lives and thousands became homeless.

CalFire and responding fire crews from throughout the western United States had the fire 100 percent contained on November 25, 2018.

The beautiful mountain ridge communities were devastated by the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. It is estimated that the fire caused more than $16.5 billion in damage and destroyed more than 18,800 structures. A hospital, post office, schools, retirement homes, churches, and numerous businesses were destroyed. The water distribution system was contaminated, and the water became undrinkable. Electricity and gas utilities were unavailable.

The Paradise municipal government faced immediate challenges. The town hall and police station were spared physical fire damage, but civic operations could not be maintained from those locations because of utility outages and water contamination. Immediate operations were transferred to an emergency operations center and dispatch center in the City of Chico.

A shuttered department store in a Chico mall was turned into a one-stop disaster recovery site where survivors could get important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, driver's licenses, and property deeds reissued. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also registered survivor claims and requests for temporary housing. Insurance companies assisted survivors with insurance claims. Out of $16.5 billion in total damage, an estimated $4 billion was uninsured.

The Paradise post office was closed, and its operations relocated to Chico. Survivors lined up for hours at the Chico post offices to have their mail forwarded to their new addresses.

Paradise schools were closed as the administration wrestled with the logistics of where to meet and how best to assist students with the emotions of their losses. Eventually, schools were relocated to Chico and surrounding areas. A middle school relocated to a former hardware store in Chico. The high school relocated to an office complex near the Chico municipal airport. A charter school moved into portable units on a church's softball field.

The City of Chico's municipal government opened its emergency operations center to the Town of Paradise and Butte County officials. Fire and police services were dispatched to help the effort to protect and patrol the town, and also to assist with the influx of new residents to Chico.

Chico's city hall became Paradise's temporary town hall. The city extended its information technology services to help get the town's computer network operational just in time for the next scheduled payroll. The town would use these temporary offices and Chico's council chambers for almost three months, until they could relocate back to Paradise.

Chico municipal leaders faced a major challenge in determining how best to manage and provide support to the new residents. Leaders from the City of Santa Rosa, California--which had experienced the Tubbs Fire in 2017, a disaster that destroyed more than 5,600 structures--reached out to provide strategic...