Federal and state officials coordinating Camp Fire recovery efforts must find new locations for debris processing and transitional housing after two Chico sites fell through this week.
Monday (Dec. 18), FEMA and Cal OES, the state Office of Emergency Services, announced that Barber Yard “is no longer the preferred site” for a temporary handling facility for fire debris. The plan for the material, much of which was exposed to contaminants, was to transport it from burn zones by truck and ship it out of the region by rail.
Meanwhile, owners of an Eaton Road parcel identified as a potential site for 250 FEMA trailers opted not to open the location to that housing, Mayor Randall Stone announced and City Manager Mark Orme confirmed. Orme told the CN&R that FEMA and Cal OES “are diligently evaluating” other options “inside and outside Butte County.”
Bill Webb, whose home-construction company owns the 83 acres along Eaton, did not return a call for comment by the CN&R’s deadline.