Gridley, CA (MPG) – Originally built to house 400 trailers, Gridley’s FEMA Community located at the Industrial Park only received a little over 300 as the need for emergency short-term housing after the Camp Fire was not as great as expected. That was, in part, due to the earlier establishment of other FEMA community sites in Oroville and Chico, and potential residents finding housing opportunities before the Gridley park opened in mid-August of 2019.

The Gridley FEMA park occupancy peaked at around 2,300 residents and according to the Gridley Relief Group meeting minutes, is down 16 households from the highest recorded number of occupied trailers – 242. The City of Gridley’s lease agreement with FEMA set January 15^th 2021 as the initial exit deadline for park occupants, with a 6 month extension option. Regardless of the numbers or residents housed, trailers occupied in the park or the changes in exit dates in the lease agreement, Gridley will receive its negotiated monthly payments and final site restoration fee.

At a recent Gridley Relief Group meeting, FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) Jakki Silkiss, reported that there are currently 67 FEMA managed disasters all pulling from the same pot of funds. Due to that strain, FEMA is considering closing down the group sites early.

The Gridley Relief Group reports that the Chico Long Term Recovery Group, Butte County and the State of California have applied to FEMA for a six-month extension on the FEMA group sites. Silkiss says that she has seen extensions granted but the decision is ultimately left up to FEMA how to best use their funding.  If the extension is declined, FEMA could begin closing the sites as early as May of 2020.

Dan Boeger, member of the Gridley Relief Group active in the long-term recovery efforts, reports that the Gridley site would be the last standing - presumably due to its size. As the smaller group sites close down, the occupants will be folded into the Gridley site, the largest FEMA site in the Camp Fire recovery sphere.

In the meantime, the State of California and Butte County are gearing up to fill the gap that FEMA will eventually leave in our area.  CalOES VAL Derek Thomas reported to the GRG that Governor Newsom has appointed a Chief of Staff over the Camp Fire recovery efforts, Tim Perry, who plans to meet with the local LTRG organizations involved in the recovery efforts to coordinate resources. The date has yet to be determined, but when FEMA does indeed pull out, the state of California and Butte County will need to be prepared to further recovery efforts on their own.