Fire victims set to move into trailers
EL CENTRO – Many of the families displaced by the June 28 wildfire in Niland will start moving into new temporary housing on Friday.
Imperial County announced it has secured 33 travel trailers from the state to provide longer-term housing. The county said 21 of the units have been set up at the Del Yermo RV Park in Calipatria, where they are being fitted with proper utilities and fully cleansed, Deputy Executive Officer Esperanza Colio said.
The trailers are the latest step to help the fire victims. Earlier this month, the county Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency as a result of the fire and approved $100,000 in aid to the families.
Chairman Luis Plancarte said the goal has been to provide support to the residents of Niland as quickly as possible.
“I think the support the county staff and the board has provided to the residents is unprecedented,” Plancarte said. “This is about providing solutions and help very quickly. We’ve been able to streamline the aid program, and that’s because everyone has come together to support the residents.”
Ever since the fire displaced families, the county has focused efforts on securing housing, Colio said. The first step was to provide vouchers for temporary housing in hotels, but the vouchers — known as rapid housing — were just the first stage of an ongoing effort to provide longer-term housing.
The trailers mark the second phase of housing support. The 33 units were temporarily stored at Imperial Valley College. Aside from the 21 that have been moved to Calipatria, the remaining trailers will be positioned in other areas, including at a facility operated by the Brawley Housing Authority. In at least one case, family of fire victims have allowed a trailer to be placed on their property.
Some of the fire victims who are wheelchair-bound will remain in hotels while the county determines how best to meet their needs, the county said.
The travel trailers will remain at the sites for likely the next two to three months while each family’s property in Niland is cleared of the fire damage and utility connections are restored. Once the land can once again support housing, the travel trailers will be moved to each family’s property.
They will be able to continue residing in the travel trailers while the county works to secure funding for more permanent housing, Colio said.
While the work to secure housing has moved forward, the county has also been working with non-profits and the public sector to secure basic necessities for the fam
ilies, most of whom lost all of their belongings in the June 28 fire.
Home-starting kits consisting of such items as pillows, comforters, dishes, clothing, towels, hygiene and safety items have been prepared and will be delivered to the families as they move into the new housing thanks to the donation efforts.
With the travel trailers in place, efforts will now turn toward secur
ing more permanent housing. Toward that end, Plancarte said, the county is reaching out to non-profit agencies statewide with experience in providing housing support to victims of devastating fires, like the 2019 Paradise fire.
Colio added the county is looking for additional funding that could help with securing mobile or modular homes for the families.