Paradise Fire/Camp Creek Fire 11/08/2018 (medical, property, areas)

[JGC97]

I agree mgforshort. Had it happened in the middle of the night, I don't even want to think how many more would have perished. I imagine even the slightest smell of smoke put everyone on edge, making it difficult to sleep. Thank you for your earlier post on things to watch for.

[BurntCoffey]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

I think we have been fortunate that the fire started around 6 AM. If it had been midnight, give and take an hour, the number of the dead could have been 10 - 20 times higher with everyone sleeping and no alerts from the authorities.

The authorities have learned from the recent past. Back in 2017 the Tubbs fire came roaring through our neighborhood in the middle of the night with NO warning. If I hadn't left the bedroom window open that October evening and smelled smoke I likely would have slept longer and may not have made it out safely.

To those who are being evacuated now it may seem that the authorities are being overcautious; they are not. These fires are different in that there are so many burning simultaneously that California just doesn't have enough resources available to fight them. The fires near us are just now being seriously addressed as they begin to encroach upon housing developments, and another weather event is predicted for tomorrow which threatens to bring more thunderstorms.

[cp102]

It has been almost 2 years since our house burned down ( it was hit by lightning, I never thought a house could burn so fast )and it was about the same time as the paradise fire. Our house took 18 months to be rebuilt. I also have thought of all of you who lost homes, and pray that you have found new homes and are ok. I know the fires have to bring back bad memories for all of you. May God be with you and your families.

[JGC97]

It's good to hear follow up stories from those who lost their home but were able to rebuild or even make a new life someplace else. I came across a story the other night that caught me by surprise. I didn't have a clue about this woman when I was watching the video but, as it turns out, she lost her home in Paradise in November 2018.

She had already experienced great losses in her life; a son in 2010 and the loss of her marriage. When her home in Paradise burned down, she managed to find the strength to move on alone. She has the most adorable tiny home in Oregon now. Close to the beach in a beautiful small town. I'm not 100% sure but I think she's living in Waldport. Her story was featured in a video which I'll post here for anyone wanting to watch.

What I see in watching it is that Carol has such a positive attitude about life, even with all the losses she's lived through. It's sort of ironic to me that even if a fire takes everything you own, there is still beauty from ashes. There's a book by that title and Carol's story is a good example of that.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph8UkOsg2p0

[mgforshort]

The following came in an e mail from an attorney representing fire victims in Paradise. Our own home survived, but we have neighbors planning to rebuild. That is bad news for them. Horror stories abound on social media regarding the cost and difficulty obtaining permits even for simple things like a water hookup or free-standing electrical panel which are needed for the contractors, or for camping in a trailer while doing the work. So far about 370 new homes were built and we are approaching the 2-year anniversary of the fire (November 8, 2018).

"I want to repeat what I wrote last week about increasing home construction costs. If you are in the process of rebuilding (or getting close) your contractor will have undoubtedly informed you that the costs of building material are up astronomically. My contractor says most basic building materials are up 80% or more. Therefore, if you have already submitted an anticipated rebuild cost to us, then please check with your contractor and have the bid amended to reflect these new prices."

[janellen]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

The following came in an e mail from an attorney representing fire victims in Paradise. Our own home survived, but we have neighbors planning to rebuild. That is bad news for them. Horror stories abound on social media regarding the cost and difficulty obtaining permits even for simple things like a water hookup or free-standing electrical panel which are needed for the contractors, or for camping in a trailer while doing the work. So far about 370 new homes were built and we are approaching the 2-year anniversary of the fire (November 8, 2018).

"I want to repeat what I wrote last week about increasing home construction costs. If you are in the process of rebuilding (or getting close) your contractor will have undoubtedly informed you that the costs of building material are up astronomically. My contractor says most basic building materials are up 80% or more. Therefore, if you have already submitted an anticipated rebuild cost to us, then please check with your contractor and have the bid amended to reflect these new prices."

I'm hearing the same thing from my niece who is building a new home in east Texas. She says every time she goes to the lumber yard, the price of 2x4s goes up.

[JGC97]

I'm hearing that, as well. The pandemic has caused a decrease in lumber production but didn't stop the inventory from being bought up so now, faced with the lack of supply, prices are through the roof.

What a freaking mess this whole thing is. Worse, it's not going to get better any time soon. This year has been bad but I don't really even want to think how next year will be ... but I fear it won't be pretty.

[evening sun]

A feel good tale for a change:

https://www.paradisepost.com/2020/09...4FQskR3kzhfy60

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by evening sun

A feel good tale for a change:

https://www.paradisepost.com/2020/09...4FQskR3kzhfy60

That was nice.

[mgforshort]

I'm bumping this thread if someone cares to read it.

37 months after the fire Paradise has 1,160 new homes rebuilt and approx. 2,000 building permits wait for approval. At least one third of new homes are manufactured, the rest are stick built. Sadly, even the stick built homes look like tract homes in S. California. The upcoming vacant lots with trees etc. cleared are usually sold in a few days, with the average price in the $ 40 K range for one third of an acre.

We paid $ 143 per sq.foot for our older home in 2015. Currently the average per foot price is $ 255, ranging from $ 230 to 285 per sq.foot. On average, homes are sold after 26 days.

We had a third grocery store open, SaveMart, Holiday Market and now the new Grocery Outlet.

Adventist Health in Paradise is our main medical provider. We received both Moderna vaccines with a 20-minute waiting time; compare this to hours in line in the large southern cities like L.A.

Our insurance doubled since 2015, from $ 1,995 to $ 4,011 in 2021; that is for the home, contents, and 2 cars full coverage.
To be fair, the replacement value is much, much higher now than 6 years ago.

I bought a Lowe 1240 jon boat with an electric motor for our local lake - this was the very last item on my bucket list, and it just became reality. Looks like we are staying for a while.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for everyone.