Up To 2,000 FEMA Trailers Planned For Camp Fire Victims

(AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that as many as 2,000 trailers could be used to help house survivors of the Camp Fire, some possibly as soon as this week.

Other survivors are staying in hotels and apartments, some using financial assistance from the government, said Toney Raines, head of FEMA's housing task force.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fire that tore through Butte County on Nov. 8 and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes.

Ed Mayer, the executive director of the county’s housing agency, told CapRadio’s Insight With Beth Ruyak on Nov. 15 that the shear number of people evacuated is exacerbating an already troubled housing situation.

“The challenge is of course that we've got 6 or 7,000, maybe more, displaced families from Paradise,” he said. “They're not going to find housing in our county anytime soon. We already had a very low — effectively zero — vacancy rate here.”

Mayer said many of those affected are low-income seniors and people with disabilities who don't have the means to move about the country.

Tina Curry, a deputy director at California's Office of Emergency Services, called the magnitude of the fire unprecedented.

"There's a huge challenge before us," she said.

Capital Public Radio staff contributed to this report.