More than 70 percent of people affected by the Palisades, California, wildfire that raged since January are still living in temporary housing, according to a report.
The survey, conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Fire Protection, surveyed “2,300 residents affected by the fire across” Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles Times. The survey found that 75 percent of “surveyed Pacific Palisades residents and 67 percent of Altadena residents are living in temporary housing.”
According to the report:
About 75 percent of Pacific Palisades residents and 67 percent of Altadena residents are living in temporary housing. Many expect to have to move again in the next few months. The report found that while residents who experienced total home loss had difficulty finding stable housing, residents who experienced structural damage and smoke or ash damage had to move more frequently.
Of residents who lost their homes in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena and Malibu, 22% said they expected to move again in the next six to twelve months, and 9% expected to move in the next few months. Of those residents who suffered structural damage and smoke or ash damage, 19% expected to have to move in the next few months, and 18% believed they would have to move within a year.
Fox News reported that one person explained that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “has disaster relief dollars under the Community Development Block Grants.”
The person explained to Fox News that they would “meet with HUD” to discuss this before the government shutdown, adding that it could be used to reinvest in infrastructure.
Breitbart News’ Warner Todd Houston reported that during a hearing on Thursday, Senators Ron Johnson (R-Washington) and Rick Scott (R-Florida) heard from “victims of the devastating and deadly fires.” Among those speaking at the hearing was “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt:
One of those speaking at the hearing was “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt, who has become a leading advocate for fire victims.
“By the grace of God, my family survived,” he said during his testimony.
“My family didn’t lose hope, but we lost our home and everything we owned in the Palisade fire,” Pratt said during the hearing, wearing a hat that read, “Newsom will never be president.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) reportedly tried to divert attention from the Pacific Palisades fire, which “destroyed 7,000 structures and killed 12 people in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas alone.”
Johnson previously suggested that the Senate “could subpoena” Newsom to “explain state and local failures during the Palisades fire.”