Local assistance center for Park Fire opens Monday

An assistance center is being set up for survivors of the Park Fire.

It will be located in Chico in North Valley Plaza at the building that used to be the 99 Cents Only Store — 2156 Pillsbury Rd., Suite 100. Doors are scheduled to open 9 a.m. on Monday.

Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter said the center will be similar to the one set up in the aftermath of the Camp Fire, and provide a single location for people to replace lost documents and talk to recovery agencies.

Teeter is no stranger to the challenges of recovery. He went through the 2018 Camp Fire and noted that recovery needs are different for everyone.

“I lost my home. So, it wasn't like I had this strong urge to get back home to clean out my fridge or, you know, make sure my pets are still there. So I get the difference,” Teeter told NSPR.

He asked residents to be patient in their recovery, and with officials who are working hard to lift and downgrade evacuations.

“We, the county, need to ensure that the environment is safe for your return. And that's probably my biggest, I guess, statement I’d like to make to those that are currently affected by the Park Fire,” Teeter said. “My sincere, heartfelt appreciation to the struggles of both those that lost their homes, and those that have surviving homes.”

Doug Teeter

Financial resources available to survivors 

As those affected by the fire wait for the assistance center to open, Teeter said there are other financial resources available.

For example, United Way of Northern California and North Valley Catholic Social Service both have applications for gift cards that can be used for emergency assistance. The website 2-1-1 NorCal also lists many other resources including lodging assistance. Still, Teeter worries for many Park Fire survivors who aren’t connected online. He encouraged residents to share information by word of mouth.

“Think of your neighbor that may not be computer literate, or smartphone literate. And please reach out to them if you hear something,” he said. “That would be probably making their day. Otherwise if it wasn't for you doing it, they might not get that message.”

He said community members supporting each other will be essential now and for long-term recovery. Teeter said he’s already observed the community of Cohasset coming together during public meetings.

“Their presence, demeanor, their comfort comforting their fellow community members was pretty awesome. I was super impressed,” he said.

Being new to representing Cohasset, Forest Ranch 

Both Cohasset and Forest Ranch are new to Teeter’s supervisorial district. Both were added to his district after it lost population during the 2018 Camp Fire. At the time of the interview on Monday, Teeter said he wasn’t sure how many homes had been lost in each community. He said he visited Forest Ranch, he saw some homes were lost, though there was less damage than there was in Cohasset. Teeter said he wants to support both communities in their recovery, and noted he knows he’s new to constituents there.

“I was just in the stages of forming relationships for folks. And so I guess that's maybe a silver lining, is this disaster will really allow me to learn who these people are and how the county can help them succeed. Whether it's getting back to their homes or continuing on with their lives after the loss of their home,” he said.

Teeter reiterated that recovering after a fire can take a long time, and people will be in various stages for years. He said that he is still in the process of rebuilding after the Camp Fire.

“I just want to say this could be a fast process, or it could be a long process, depending on the situation,” Teeter said. “I just want to implore that it could take a while to get back home.”