Now that the devastation of the Camp Fire in Butte County is no longer in the news, have you considered the impacts to those who evacuated, even if their homes did not burn down? Sadly, 19,000 structures were destroyed and 14,000 of those were residences.
Placer County Provided Essential Public Health and Animal Services for Camp Fire Recovery
Now that the devastation of the Camp Fire in nearby Butte County is no longer in the news, have you considered the impacts to those who evacuated, even if their homes did not burn down? Sadly, almost 19,000 structures were destroyed and about 14,000 of those were residences.
Placer County employees not only work to assist Placer County residents, when incidents like wildfires occur, they also respond and offer mutual aid assistance. Several of our HHS coworkers in Environmental Health and Animal Services answered the call for help and volunteered to deploy to Butte County to oversee environmental clean-up efforts and care for displaced and injured animals.
How Did Placer Help?
Four of our registered environmental health specialists (REHS) were deployed to areas in and around Paradise for periods ranging from two to 10 weeks. While Butte County employees continued to offer services to areas not affected by the fire, our staff oversaw debris removal at fire-damaged properties.
Additionally, three volunteers from Animal Services deployed for up to three weeks. Two of our Animal Control Officers assisted with recovering and caring for many pets, livestock and wildlife displaced by the fire. One of our kennel attendants worked alongside veterinarians and their staff and tended to injured animals in emergency shelters. Below are their individual experiences. Read more...