California wildfires recovery progress remains stalled one year later
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A year after the most expensive and devastating series of wildfires to ravage California, survivors are still left in limbo due to red tape, rising costs and a slowing recovery.
California’s strict rebuilding regulations, combined with the extent of the destruction, help explain why rebuilding has not yet begun.
Eaton and Palisades fires burned as a whole 37,728 acres It destroyed more than 16,200 structures in its path, an area larger than Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios in California combined.
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Reconstruction in California has progressed slowly due to restrictions and rising construction costs. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
Construction has begun on fewer than 600 of the lost homes and businesses, and more than 96 percent remain untouched.
“There are certainly people who are determined to come back and build right away and have the financial resources and insurance coverage to do so,” Jamie Mead, CEO of Thomas James Homes, told Fox News national correspondent William La Jeunesse.
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More than 16,000 structures were damaged in the Eaton and Palisades fires. (David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images)
But Mead says the vast majority of society won’t be able to rebuild.
“There are those who haven’t, and many of them have begun the process of selling their main sites,” he added.
One important reason is cost. For many homeowners in California, insurance coverage is not sufficient; They’re forced to juggle old mortgages on a fire-ravaged home, years of rent in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets, and mounting rebuilding costs.
“A lot of people I talk to are kind of in limbo,” Compass reporter Jeff Salcido explained to La Jeunesse. “How much money do we get for insurance? How much time do we have for construction? What will life be like as long as we take on all this?” Salcido added.
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Construction has started on less than 4% of destroyed homes and businesses. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
Even if homeowners are ready to move forward, time is against them.
Even after permits are approved, a process that can take about two months, it can take another eight to nine months to build a move-in-ready home, says Compass real estate agent Mark Marquez.
However, most insurance policies cover about 18 months of temporary living expenses; this window often closes before rebuilding is complete, especially due to allowable delays.
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“All these lots you see vacant, people can’t get insurance money to rebuild,” said Pacific Palisades resident Sue Pascoe.
Democratic Government Gavin Newsom‘s office and that of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For many of the fire’s survivors, the choice becomes increasingly clear: rebuild quickly or walk away.
