Camp Fire Oral History- Yvette Streeter, March, 22, 2019

Camp Fire Oral History Project

Interviewee: Yvette Streeter

Date of interview: 03/22/2019

Interviewer: Stefani BaldiviaInterview Transcription

Stefani Baldivia: And we shall begin. So I'm going to ask a few questions about you.

Yvette Streeter: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Then I'm going to ask a few questions about evacuation.

Y.S.: Okay.

S.B.: And then a few questions about shelter, displacement, and recovery.

Y.S.: Okay.

S.B.: Okay. So can you tell me what is your name?

Y.S.: Yvette Streeter.

S.B.: And what is your age and occupation?

Y.S.: 61 years of age, and I work here at California State University, Chico in the department of Environmental Health and Safety.

S.B.: Okay -- um -- and where did you live at the beginning of November in 2018?

Y.S.: I lived in Paradise, California.

S.B.: Um -- can you tell me your street? You don't have to tell me your address.

Y.S.: Oh sure, I lived on Harris Lane, a little private road on the -- um -- southwestern part of town.

S.B.: Okay. Um -- and what did you do Wednesday, November the 7th, of 2018?

Y.S.: I came to work. It was a normal work day. I went home and I was very concerned about the weather conditions, and I once again blew more leaves in the area of my house because it was fall, and they were lots of leaves coming down and I was worried about wildfire. So I blew some more leaves off the front porch. I noticed they'd all blown on the porch. That was concerning. Blew them off the porch, checked the property -- um -- and everything looked fine and I -- uh -- went to bed, and did not sleep well because of the wind that night. I woke up multiple times, turned on my scanner to see if there was any fires. I'm a former volunteer firefighter, so I'm acutely aware of what wildfire does in our area. Um -- and I was up most of the night because the wind and checking the scanner and -- uh -- that's what I did the day before.

S.B.: Did you end up falling asleep?

Y.S.: I did. I slept, some.

S.B.: Um -- did you have plans for Thursday, November the 8th?

Y.S.: Just to come to work.

S.B.: Routine?

Y.S.: Routine. Normal day.

S.B.: Regular day, okay. So how did you become aware of the fire that morning?

Y.S.: Well I woke up and I immediately turned on the news, and I turned on my scanner. And I didn't hear anything at that time so I turned the scanner off -- and when I say scanner -- it's just my phone. I don't have a professional scanner anymore, but I have a pretty good scanner program on my phone. So I watched the morning news while getting ready for work and I was up early. Um -- I was apprehensive about fire. I looked outside -- I went outside and I looked out front and back where I had the best viewpoints --

S.B.: Mm-hm.

Y.S.: -- towards both canyons. I'm much closer to Butte Creek Canyon. I didn't smell fire, I didn't see fire, I didn't hear anything about fire, and I was ready early and I thought perhaps I would go outside and blow some more leaves and I was nervous and I didn't know why and I thought -- it's just because I was 00:03:00tired. And I checked my neighbors and they were home and I briefly thought about staying home -- um -- and speaking to my neighbors because we had a fire plan and I wanted to enact a fire plan but then I decided that I should just go to work.

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: I was compelled to go to work, and I left to work early. So while I was driving down the Skyway --

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: -- I was more than halfway down Skyway when I looked at my rearview mirror to check traffic and I saw a large [smoke] column to my back left, and I immediately knew it was Concow because I've lived here since 1974 --

S.B.: Hmm.

Y.S.: -- and again I was a firefighter, and I knew it was Concow. So I turned on my scanner in my car, and I heard firemen screaming for water for helicopters. And a fireman saying he was taking people to the lake because they were going to burn, and I was very concerned. And then I heard "Spot fire on Pentz Road and 00:04:00Merrill." And I thought, "Dear God, it's spotted across the canyon already," and I'm looking at the column and I'm listening to my scanner and I see that it is growing huge very quickly. So I call my sister. I have hands free calling on my phone. I call my sister who lives on Pentz Road.

S.B.: Oh.

Y.S.: Meanwhile, I'm doing this I've heard another "Spot fire on Pentz road," then I hear evacuation on Pentz road. I know my sister is asleep. I call my sister and I scream into her answering machine, "Patty wake up! Patty wake up! Patty wake up! Patty wake up! This is evac- get up, run for your life. Patty the canyons are on fire. It's bad. I don't know what's happening. I'm not home. Get out. Call mom, call Monica." My mom is mom, and Monica is my niece who has two little babies. Um -- well they're not babies, they're -- um -- one and a half year old and three and a half year old. They sleep really late because the children don't have a scheduled lifestyle much to my dismay [laugh], but anyhow 00:05:00I knew they were asleep.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So --

S.B.: I'm going to have to slow you down.

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: Because I want to make sure I'm catching you at -- what time did you leave your house? You said you left --

Y.S.: [cross talk] 7:15[am].

S.B.: -- early.

Y.S.: At 7:15.

S.B.: At 7:15 you left and then you're driving down Skyway --

Y.S.: I could see the -- [cross talk]

S.B.: -- in your car, and you see the column. At what time did you make the first call?

Y.S.: I think it would've been about 7:25.

S.B.: Not even ten minutes, okay.

Y.S.: Yeah because it only takes 15 to get down the hill.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: It takes me longer to get across Chico than to get down the hill.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: Right because it's a straight shot. You're going 55, 60 miles an hour.

S.B.: Right. um --

Y.S.: So it's not even 8 o'clock yet.

S.B.: Right. So you were in your car?

Y.S.: I was in my car.

S.B.: Um -- did you know how close you were to the fire when you became aware of it?

Y.S.: I knew that it was not in Paradise yet. While I was driving, I realized it was. Because the next thing I heard on the scanner was 'Structure fires on Sawmill Road." And I thought, "Oh no, what a terrible time for a house fire 00:06:00while the canyon is on fire." Completely unrelated in my mind at that point.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Then I heard "Structure fire, Newland Road, multiple structures." That I heard "Structure fire, Pentz Road, Pentz Road." And then I heard so much radio traffic that I realized that the fire was in the canyon, and spotting in the town of Paradise with ignition. Multiple structures. I then realized the fire had come into the town, and I wanted to turn around and go home.

S.B.: so you're still on Skyway heading towards Chico at this point?

Y.S.: Well now I'm in Chico, so this whole time I'm on the phone.

S.B.: Trying to call?

Y.S.: I'm scared that I'm making my way here --

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: -- to work. To run from the parking structure into the office to announce to my boss, "I think my town is on fire. I want to go home."

S.B.: So you still had an obligation to come to work. You're feeling like, "I need to go and let them know I need to leave."

Y.S.: And I didn't know what to do. Now at some point my sister calls me back, and she's screaming because my instructions were her -- the second message I called again screaming into her phone, "Just go to my house!" because I live on the complete other side of town. Fire in the Pentz Road canyon, Feather River Canyon, never is going to get to Chico -- across the canyon. It's never going to get to Neal road, never. Historically, fires have come up the Skyway, cross Neal Road and will go into Nance Canyon and go towards Clark Road. Never, never have they gone the other way. There's -- in my mind and many firefighters that I have spoke to we never thought that that could or would happen. So, my sister wants to go down Pentz Road, go down 99, up Neal Road, and she would have been safe and sound at my house like before. The call I got from my sister was her hysterical saying, "I can't get up Neal road. Everyone's coming down Neal. 00:08:00They're crazy, they're driving on both sides of the road. I'm just going to go to Chico. I don't know where mom is," my mom is eighty one. So now, I'm at work. So I'm at work Kenny, my colleague, comes in. He looks like a ghost. I said, "Kenny I think Paradise is on fire." He says, "Oh god. I don't know where my kids are. I'm trying to get a hold of Linda and my boys." He has three boys in school in Paradise. Well now, the university administration is aware of what is unfolding, and we have the president and cabinet coming into our office. I don't go home. I go to work. We activate the campus Emergency Operations Center. We do what I do. I've been in an emergency response and management my whole -- that's what I do. That's why I got hired here.

S.B.: Right

Y.S.: I am the campus Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and that -- Emergency Operations Center is my job.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So Marvin and I started setting the stage for whatever is about to happen, 00:09:00and I -- and every opportunity I have I look out the door and I see that my town is burning and how -- I eventually hear from my sister again. I eventually hear that my mom is okay. I eventually hear that my other sister and my nieces are okay and for two days I don't know where my brother is. I worked 12 hours that day. And that afternoon I said, "Marvin, we've talked about this -- that people can't stay here. I don't know where I'm going to go tonight and I think I've missed my window to get a hotel room. I might need to sleep in the office and my colleague says, "You're coming home with me. Don't worry about it, I've already called my husband. We're setting up our spare room." So that was how I found out about the fire and that was my day, that day.

S.B.: Okay, that's a lot.

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: Um -- you talked about having a fire plan. Can you tell me what your fire 00:10:00plan was --?

Y.S.: Sure.

S.B.: -- with your neighbors? [Streeter sniffs] Do you want a tissue?

Y.S.: I -- no. Eventually I will.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: Um -- for the rest of my life I will have mixed feelings about not being home because I really believe I could've saved my home. I'm trained for this. I did this for 11 years. The fire department used to train on my property because my property was an excellent example of defensible space. I did defensible space inspections over 1200 homes in my community. I know defensible space. I had 75 foot of gravel on three sides of my house. I had no brush. I had no weeds. I had a clean roof. I had clean gutters. I had fire resistant stucco siding. I had a composite deck. I had vent screens at the right size to not let embers in. I had low grow irrigated landscaping. I had extra water in case we had a fire and embers landed in the yard and my plan was my neighbor across the street Tom, a 00:11:00retired gentleman, able bodied --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- and my neighbor Mike and his wife that are young and able bodied. That Mike, and Tom, and I -- Colleen would take the children, and make sure all the women left the neighborhood except for me because I am not one of the women [laugh]. I'm the fire boss -- crew boss, and that Tom and Mike under my direction would begin to address spot fires, and push debris back from their house using steel rakes and blowers and set small back fires if necessary to deal with it approaching fire from three sides.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: My side was very defendable. The weak link was the wood fence that separated my property, and Mike and Colleen's property, and their wood frame garage and my goal was to keep his carport from catching on fire because if it catches the fence on fire which would come across to my -- my fence that goes two feet under an eave, which would be an ignition point for my house. So the 00:12:00plan was to knock the fences down, flatten the fences so they can't burn up right?

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Wet everything down and then just to be on their outer points of their property in a -- um -- the 90 degree swath with their garden hoses putting out spot fires.

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: And we'd also get our roofs slightly wet -- um -- in the end run. Putting a sprinkler on your roof is a waste of time and water so I wouldn't have done that. So that was our plan.

S.B.: Do you know if they enacted it?

Y.S.: They did not because I was not there. I will always wonder if I would've killed all of us doing that. There is a great potential, and I've looked at everything about the fire. I've studied the fire's progression. Four football fields every minute, four hundred -- four hundred yard of a football field, four hundred yards a minute. Well, when I looked at the time lapse of photography since the fire, the fire -- our area was the last to burn. It didn't burn until 2:45 that afternoon, but we were effectively sealed off from any escape route 00:13:00hours before that.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So if it was just me, I wouldn't think about it so much because I've already lost my only child and I just lost my husband. After being married for 36 years, he died of brain cancer. So I really didn't care, and I still don't care if something happens and I die because I just really kind of feel like it's not that significant. Yes, my family and friends will be sad, but to me, personally, I'm ready. I'm a Christian, I'm ready, that will enable me to be with my family again. So, but I do not have the right to take anyone else with me, and if Mike or Tom were to have been burned or killed and not me, I could not have lived with myself for my whole life. And even if all three of us died, I cannot imagine their families, how they would feel to know what they did and the fact that I talked to them into doing that. So very hard mixed feelings but 00:14:00--

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I cannot let go of this potential that maybe I could've saved my house -- um -- and I'll never know.

S.B.: It sounds like what you did was you put on your professional mask, and you went to work.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: And I know that the campus is really grateful for your service, and I'm sure they've told you so.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: And the fact is, Paradise affected everybody.

Y.S.: It did.

S.B.: And so for the campus to be the prepared zone that it was, I think is in large part due to leadership from folks like you so.

Y.S.: Well at one point I heard the Provost [Larson]. I think she was talking to the President [Hutchinson], and one of them didn't know that my house burned -- 00:15:00was burning that I lived in Paradise and I have family members that were still missing. My brother was still missing.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Um -- they said, "You know Yvette's house is burning -- were burned," and they said, "Why is she here?" Then I heard it and I said, "Because I have nowhere else to go, and there's things that need to be done now, and we're going to get them done." And it was kind of like "Oh, wow." And it was not some bravado or -- or -- demonstration of anything other than -- that is just inherently who I am.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: But I do not intend to stay in this field any longer than I have to. I cannot -- I do not feel -- at least now that I can manage anyone else's emergencies. I am too impacted by what's happening on the other side of the fence. I can't be a survivor/victim and a helper at the same time. My 00:16:00compassionate empathy for the people it's happening to, are now impacting my ability to be objective and just focus on getting the job done like I did. I don't know that I can do that again. I don't know that I can go that again. I don't know that I want to do that again.

S.B.: Um -- it's hard right because it's sort of the bifurcation of the mind.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Right? Where you're doing what you've been trained to do and you're passionate about it, but you still have these other experiences that you feel pulling you into that emotional side. Can you share a little bit more about that? Like what do you think?

Y.S.: Well, instead of being an emergency operation center in a managerial paperwork documentation related mode, I'm compelled to do what I used to do 00:17:00which is be a first responder and go out and get in it, and I'm too old to do that. To some degree. Yeah, I mean I can be a Red Cross volunteer, but I'm not sure that I want to be in a shelter either. Um -- I don't know what my new response or what it's going to be, and it's -- to me very irritating that I am 61 years old, I'm a very fit 61 years old and I'm -- um -- certainly not incapable, but I'm not as capable as when I was a firefighter in my 40s. And so search and rescue is an option. I'd be really limited in what I can do with them. Um -- by the time I was trained enough and had enough certification to be a full member, we'd easily be displaced and rightly so without any sexual -- sexist difference to a man in his 30s right? You're going to get up that hill a lot quicker than me. They're less likely to get injured than me. They're going to be able to carry more weight than me. Um -- I'm not a search dog person and 00:18:00am not going to suddenly become one because that takes years. So I can't respond to search and rescue. I can't be a volunteer firefighter anymore because I don't -- I can't carry a 130 pound ladder anymore. Um -- I don't want to be a volunteer in police service, because they don't really do that kind of stuff. I could I suppose become an EMT, but there is not a lot of job openings in that and I just -- that doesn't really quite sound right. So, at some point -- S.B.: It will come. [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- some opportunity will present itself to me or not, and then I will see what that does. And meanwhile, I will continue to have my strong sense of obligation to the job that I have now and continue to do that, but probably what's going to happen and what is most likely is that I'm going to retire. And my life will take a completely different turn, and it won't be involved in emergency management at all -- and I mean, very likely not be involved in any 00:19:00type of response at all. So whatever community I'm in, I will find some way to give to that community -- um -- that works out for me. I used to and I still feel pretty really strongly about Meals on Wheels.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: And shut-ins. Um -- and I actually came about because of my work in Paradise doing defensible space inspections, knocking on doors, and looking at conditions of yards and then when you see the person that answers the door it becomes apparent why the yards -- because they're home alone, they have no help, other than Meals on Wheels, they don't see people for maybe days.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: And a little inspector knocks on the door telling them they got weeds in their backyard -- well, some of those old folks and I had a really great rapport we developed. And I will never forget this one little woman that cleaned her whole yard by just doing one little plastic Safeway bag a day with her clippers. She effectively got every piece of dead brush out of her bush and trimmed all her plants, and other than the trees, she made her yard much, much more fire safe. One little Safeway bag a day, and she was so proud she'd showed me all the 00:20:00bags because she wanted me to come back and check on her.

S.B.: Aw, yeah.

Y.S.: It was too full and -- um -- it was really, really precious, you know? Right now I wonder what happened to her [voice breaks], and I can't remember all the people that I called on. I just know so many died, and so many were old that died. I kind of don't want to see all of those faces because if I recognize some of them it'll just make it more heartbreaking than it already is.

S.B.: Yeah. Okay -- um -- can I ask about the work that you did during that 12 hour day? Did you eat during that time?

Y.S.: Oh yeah.

S.B.: Let's get to the basics.

Y.S.: Yeah, yeah. The emergency operations center's structure is very organized, and it provides for meals, and breaks and -- um -- beverages and getting up and moving around because it's incredibly stressful.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So what we -- we -- I say we very loosely -- the administration, make no 00:21:00mistake President Gayle Hutchinson drives this ship with a firm and fair hand. And with Provost Larson and Vice President -- um -- Lang, Milton Lang, I have the first names all popping into my head here -- um -- and other high level -- um -- administrators on this campus were very, very concerned about everything that was happening with emphasis on: what is the university going to do in the next days moving forward, what is this air quality impact going to do to us, which that became apparent very quickly by the next day, we had terrible air all over. It was three days before we actually had unhealthy air. Yes, it was really smoky, but it wasn't the point where the health --

S.B.: Particulate [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- department says, "Stay indoors." Yeah we don't decide, the health department does. Air quality management and cooperation with public health, so. Anyways, that was one thing, "How do we keep our people safe, how do we ensure our students are safe, we're a week before Thanksgiving break, let's think about 00:22:00what we're trying to do here. Are we going to try to do business as normal?" Well it is not normal, and we have quickly determined how many people with human resources, how many people have a 95969 zip code, how many have a 95554? You know where -- how many people do we have that are impacted? So to look at that, how is that going to affect our ability to deliver central services to the university?

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Who were these people, what unit do they work in? So that was the -- um -- analyzing of that data. Gathering and analyzing data is what they -- EOC does, and then determines what -- um -- resources are needed to support the incident, which we weren't fighting the fire, we weren't doing anything initially -- um -- other than -- you know -- where that bad air quality was happening here, but in pretty short order we had requested two house police officers because through the CSU, other police officers from other campuses were coming because our police officers were called to help Paradise.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So we had police officers coming and where are they going to stay? So housing, we work with housing.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: How many empty dorm rooms?

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Then we started working with athletics. We put people in the gyms then we had a request to help first responders. PG&E people.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: We have a big gym so we started looking at those and accommodating as many request as we could until we ran out of mattresses.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Um -- then we started looking at -- um -- okay we need to suspend classes. By the next day, it was like "This is not getting any better, in fact this is horrific, the town is on fire still. The town of Paradise is burning."

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: It burned for 3 days. Actually people think the fire happened in one day, no it kept burning for days and days.

S.B.: Right:

Y.S.: Um -- and it was quite obvious that there could be no business as usual. So decisions were made to suspend classes. First things first, then decisions came to close campus. So in preparation of closing campus lots of conversations at high levels, and the very beginning the President just communicated now with 00:24:00the chancellor's office. And we, as part of 23 campuses, have our sister and brother emergency managers out there all contacting us to see if we need help. While we're just inundated with phone calls from everybody, and then still trying to do what we're doing. It's very chaotic type of organization. Organized chaos. Um -- so that's what the EOC does.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: In a nutshell.

S.B.: [laughs] That's a lot.

Y.S.: That's a lot.

S.B.: Yeah. Um -- you had mentioned that first day you did not know where you were going to sleep.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Do you -- you said that a friend had offered up space -- do you remember what you ate that night for dinner? Or what influenced what you ate?

Y.S.: I didn't eat dinner.

S.B.: Did you just collapse?

Y.S.: Mm-hmm. I had -- um -- lunch at the EOC. I think they brought in Kinder's [barbeque]. I remember there being tons of foods, and not being able to eat. I 00:25:00can't eat whenever in emergency mode. And I was in emergency mode, and being impacted by the emergency. So I was really -- my stomach was about the size of my fist.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So to be honest I think I had two beers for dinner.

S.B.: Liquid dinner.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm. I drank two beers and then -- um -- I went to sleep because I came back to work at 7 a.m. the next morning.

S.B.: And you had planned to be in there early because --

Y.S.: No it was our shift -- [cross talk]

S.B.: -- it was part of the job.

Y.S.: -- EOC runs 12 hours shifts.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: And Marvin had stayed to work overnight, so. And Kenny has three kids and a wife, and a home in Paradise. So Kenny wasn't coming in, and that's not Kenny's job. And Holly, our new colleague, was new. So it was me and Marvin and we don't have anyone else trained to really kind of step into our roles at this point in time and -- um -- so I didn't have anything else to do now did I?

S.B.: No.

Y.S.: I couldn't go home. I knew my mother and sister was okay. I had everyone in the whole world just -- you know -- we're all looking for my brothers so there wasn't anything I could do, physically go drive around and look for him. I knew he wasn't in a shelter. I knew he'd run away and gone somewhere. I thought perhaps he was dead because he wouldn't have left his property, and -- um -- for some reason he did decide to. And his house did not burn, but my brother was like me standing a good chance of him to die -- die defending his structure. So I couldn't get a hold of his wife, was even more concerning so that my thought was that she drove home from Chico and stayed there and argued with him, and then they both died in the fire. But [it] ended up that they drove and they end up in a hotel and I don't know where they went but it wasn't in this area.

S.B.: So, I want to slowly backup --

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: -- um -- because you got out of work that day. You said you had no idea, no idea where your brother was --

Y.S.: Right.

S.B.: And you did finally confirm --

Y.S.: The next day.

S.B.: -- your sister -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- my sister, my mom, and my niece and the little ones were okay.

S.B.: and where did they evacuate to? [cross talk]

Y.S.: My mom and my sister --

S.B.: Where did they spend the night?

Y.S.: -- went to Redding.

S.B.: Did they have a family there?

Y.S.: Nope. It was the closest hotel they could get a room in. My niece and her two children and her -- uh -- fianc went up to Cherokee.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: To my other sister's place, but they were also under threat of evacuation for a little while. But they didn't end up evacuating, and my sister's property has been used by CalFire a number of times for staging and of all the fires up in Cherokee, they've never been burned out, and rest assured they wouldn't but so that's where my niece went.

S.B.: Okay. With her kids?

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Um -- what was the communication like between you and your family who were extended? Were you able to call and talk or was it text mostly?

Y.S.: No it was calls.

S.B.: It was phone calls.

Y.S.: It was phone calls.

S.B.: Um -- and how were you reaching out to your brother?

Y.S.: Texting. Calling. Texting. Calling. Both of them and then I -- the same with my sister and I said, "Okay, well we're all trying to get a hold of him. He'll check in when he can, or we're going to find out otherwise. So it was just --

S.B.: You had a strong feeling he did not make it?

Y.S.: I was 50/50, but in my heart I didn't have that, "Oh my god. My brother is dead," because I don't do that anyways. You know, I don't go to worst case scenario until I'm forced to. Call me Pollyanna like, "No, until he's -- until I'm told he's dead, he's alive." Right?

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I was worried about him. I was very worried about him. I was worried because if the fire came up that way, he would and could have just run off into the woods to escape the fire and be trapped somewhere with no communication, no way to get back because everything is on fire and he's up there in the woods. 00:29:00And he'd be okay, but no one would know where he was.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I mean my brother, he's a survivor. He's -- you're not going to die in two days without food or even water, and I don't know how many days it was before it started raining. I think it was 4 or 5 days before it finally started raining, but I have confidence my brother wouldn't have died in the woods but still it's not knowing where he was --

S.B.: That uncertainty? [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- yeah, it was really stressful.

S.B.: Okay. Um -- so who was with you at the house where you sheltered at first night?

Y.S.: My colleague and her husband.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: And their three cats [laugh].

S.B.: What was the atmosphere like there?

Y.S.: Very comfortable. Very pleasant. Um -- very relaxed -- they're -- um -- a lot younger than me -- um -- and they're just casual nice people, and I had a room to my own. I had -- they had two bathrooms so they just gave up their front bathroom, and let me have my own bathroom. Um -- I think her hubby did take a shower in there one day but they pretty much -- no one was ever in the bathroom 00:30:00when I needed to use the restroom and -- um -- when I came home from work the next day -- um -- on the top of the bed was this pile of clothes. She had called all her girlfriends, called her skinny friends she said to me [laughs], "I called my skinny friends." [laughs] And Holly gave me some clothes for the next day so they were a little baggy. So Holly's just a size or two bigger than me, but I had dress slacks and a blouse, and because I am who I am, I had clean socks and underwear and one change of clothes in my car, but they were jeans and a tank top. I did not change my clothes out and my emergency box in my car and my big go bag was in the garage unpacked because I was refreshing it for winter emergency season.

S.B.: You seem like the type to prepare for an evacuation.

Y.S.: It's my job.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: Yes. So I was -- you know -- swapping out to take the summer clothes and the light weight stuff, and put it in the emergency blanket. It's why I actually keep those in year round. And the rain poncho, and check the granola bars, and 00:31:00I'd already done the water swapping -- I had three gallons of water in the back of my car. So yeah, my philosophy is a 72 hour kit right?

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So I was in between kits and my go bag burned up in my garage. So now I'm less prepared than ever I suppose [laughs].

S.B.: [laughs]

Y.S.: I just haven't had it in me to recreate a go bag when I still don't have some of the basic things that I -- you know -- you expect.

S.B.: Can I ask what your evacuation plan is? What your go bag looks like? And what --

Y.S.: Oh sure! It's like about 3 foot long duffle bag.

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: And about that big. It's -- it wouldn't even be a carry on --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- with that weight. And I have -- um -- two complete changes of clothes in there, socks, a sheet -- um -- the emergency poncho, the emergency whistle, the water purification kit, a little thing that has a signal mirror, some waterproof matches, a flint -- um -- tang, powder tang. I'm never going to die 00:32:00of scurvy. Um -- just [laugh] -- what if there's never any vitamin c again I have -- I have a gallon of tang

S.B: [laugh]

Y.S.: Um -- so basically a change of clothes, huge first aid kit -- actually trauma kit.

S.B.: yeah.

Y.S.: Because a trauma kit -- um -- a trauma kit which I have one in my go bag, and one in my car because if you run away with your go bag, you don't have your car right? Um -- so medical supplies, food supplies, shelter supplies, communication things, the hand crank, --

S.B.: Radio?

Y.S.: -- radio, know what weather stations, signal mirror, I mean you name it. Pretty much a full blown survival kit.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: Then other than having a sleeping bag in there -- um -- and a tent, I had anything I needed to live with. I did have a tarp in there though and string and stakes. So if nothing else I can make a Boy Scout pup tent.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Right. So all you need is a tarp.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: A string and 4 stakes and you have a tent.

S.B.: Um -- and so you had a plan -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: I did not get to --

S.B.: -- in place for when you were at home and responding?

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: But you were --

Y.S.: Already --

S.B.: -- away from home when you discovered this was coming?

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: To fruition and so close?

Y.S.: Yeah, and I knew by the time I got here things started unwinding. If I would've tried to get up to Skyway, I couldn't have. And my sister, I tell them, "Neal Road was both ways so I know I couldn't go down." I was trapped in Chico. I felt trapped. Like I couldn't go home, and even after work I looked up the hill and thought for just a second -- maybe -- then I -- you know -- logic said, "You can't go there, everything is on fire." Because at night it was -- it was obvious by then. It was obvious by then that if my house was standing, it was going to be a miracle.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I -- pretty much like three fourths of our houses burned down. Our whole 00:34:00town burned down, and I was in still and all over that because a fire of that magnitude -- well we've had some fires -- well I worked through the 2008 fires as a firefighter and in the Paradise EOC. So I've seen big fire, but for it to do what it did -- to have an urban configuration fire was just something I never thought would happen. Me and a lot of people. I mean then there's all those, "Eh, it was a matter of time blah, blah, blah." I hate the --

S.B.: I don't think the -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- back pocket calling -- um -- whatever you are commentators that now -- you know -- they knew was going to happen. Well --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- okay, whatever.

S.B.: The whole town though, I didn't think anybody expected that.

Y.S.: People would say, you know, "Oh the whole town was going to burn down," then there's these articles that say -- you know -- "Town of Paradise ignored warning," so it's like -- you know -- just stop because that's not true, and as 00:35:00someone that worked for the fire department in a defensible space program, hand in hand with the fire safe council. They worked relentlessly year round. The chipper program was huge up there. The list that the fire safe council could produce of how many truckloads of trees were chipped up and bush removed, and properties they cleared, and the churches had assistance programs to help people and Paradise was not perfect and it was not fireproof obviously but it wasn't like collectively the community ignored everything and the town officials and the fire department, you know, flip their nose at experts say, you know, a large wildfire can take out the town -- that, I just am so insulted by those conversations, and those articles. Because again, you see after the fact commentators putting together pieces to justify their conclusion, and I am 00:36:00offended by it. So I just -- I'll turn off the T.V., I'll walk away, or I won't read it. I just won't.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I mean I'm not going to put it in a big bottle as to why because there's enough of that out there and when you have this much stress and grief, it's pretty easy to become angry.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: And I don't want to become angry. I get irritated but I don't get angry and stay angry. Yeah, I kind of [makes noise with mouth] and then like [exhales], "Okay."

S.B.: Okay. Okay -- um -- I want to talk a little bit about shelter -- um -- and we already established that you stayed that first night with a coworker -- um -- can you tell me where you stayed, and what you ate during the first few weeks after the fire? You were still in EOC mode --

Y.S.: I was --

S.B.: -- for weeks.

Y.S.: -- for only three days. No --

S.B.: Three days? Okay.

Y.S.: -- after -- like the fourth day, I was emotionally and physically exhausted and Marvin knew it, and at this point the university was transitioning 00:37:00into campus have closed. The work that was being done in EOC was not related to the Camp Fire, but was assisting the Camp Fire Relief which was to facilitate the use of the BMU for the Thanksgiving Dinner.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: To -- um -- for -- um -- Ahmad Boura to work with his people to develop the Wildcats --

S.B.: Rise.

Y.S.: -- Rise program.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: And all those things weren't really in the FEMA -- oh yes -- Office of Emergency Services scope of incident command systems and emergency response, so we're still doing very -- very important work but it's not directly related to the incident and therefore Marvin and my roles in that are greatly diminished because we're not making those decisions. The [Chico State] President [Gayle Hutchinson] is the one that is going to say, "Yes, I want to do that, Yes, we use this facility, call David Buckley." Those conversation aren't centric to the operations center. In other words, they can't happen anywhere but because we are 00:38:00accustomed to working in our office, our office was the central gathering point for all the decision makers and these things to happen. And so Marvin worked smaller shifts and he relieved me, and then Holly started filling in for me. And Cathy, our office -- um -- our ASC, came back in was doing things and Marvin said, "Yvette, you just go get some rest," and I said, "Thank you." I turned my back and I didn't think about it again. I started focusing on my family --

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: -- more. Try to see them which didn't happen for a long time. So I stayed with Holly --

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: -- and she said, "You can stay here as long as you want." I said, "I know I can't live here though Holly." She goes, "Well, no, you can't but -- you know -- we'll figure that out." So I did stay with her for two weeks --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- until I ended up -- um -- so I've lived in this area since 1974, I know a lot of people from the town of Paradise, and a lot of people trying to contact me, a lot of people knew I was recently widowed, a lot of people were worried 00:39:00about me -- um -- because of what I've gone through in the last two -- you know -- five years basically. "She lost her -- you know -- the love of my life, and now she's lost her entire home. And she's just on her own." So -- um -- the current director of Butte County Public Works, I know him from working with him in the town of Paradise --

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: -- and his wife used to work at the University and she contacted me by phone and said, "We're worried about you, how are you? Are you okay? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And she said, "Please come stay with us." I went, "Well okay." [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: So I moved to Durham.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: And I stayed in Durham for a couple weeks, and then -- um -- a wonderful colleague here had reached out to family of his -- in-laws -- that happen to have a little vacation house out in Capay that they don't stay in and asked them -- without even asking me first, he came to me afterwards -- he said, "I have a colleague that's lost her home in Paradise and she's a widow, she has no kids, 00:40:00no pets," -- apparently he said good things about me -- "Would you consider letting her stay there? I don't know if she can get a hotel or whatever at this point." So he came to me, he said, "Yvette, I might have a place for you to stay. Would you be interested? I hope you don't mind driving out to Hamilton City." I said, "I'll go anywhere. I don't care. I'll look and live in my car like --" 'cause I'm not going to the shelter. Not going to the Red Cross shelter. I would not have. I would not have.

S.B.: Can you say why?

Y.S.: Because it's too upsetting and emotionally for me. Because I've been on the other side of the fence, and I know that only the poorest and sickest and those that have nothing else end up in shelter. And I figured that somehow, well I have a credit card with a great limit on it, somehow somewhere I would find a place to stay. I would spend every penny I had before I go to sleep in a cot in Red shelter -- in the Red Cross shelter. I just did not want to deal with a human misery shelter, and maybe that's being selfish but that's exactly how I felt about it. I cannot deal with the human misery of a shelter right now, 00:41:00because it will suck me up and swallow me whole and I will end up working 24/7.

S.B.: You said now twice that you've been on the other side of that. Can you explain what you mean by that?

Y.S.: When you're in an EOC and you're facilitating establishing shelters like when 2008 fires in Paradise. It's really hard to get information back and forth with the shelters, because it's very chaotic when they're first getting set up. They're all volunteers -- they're all Red Cross volunteers --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- very few paying people, so it's chaos at the shelters. So when the town of Paradise of 2008 fires when the town didn't -- couldn't get information data to the shelters, they sent me out. During the Oroville dam incident, I came from the University and I drove to the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds to find out the status of the shelter, because the campus community was clamoring loudly with "We want to help." They were gathering things and we had nowhere to take them, 00:42:00and you don't just drop off donations because it's a disaster after the disaster. I know this. So I said, "I'm going to go to the Red Cross shelter, I'm going to see what they need, we're going to have to figure this out, I'm going to find out who their donation clearing houses are, where can we deliver things or who can pick stuff up to get to them, because we can't use taxpayer money to do that.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: We can't do that here. People were getting very upset with our office because, "What do you mean? Well, you just don't care." It's like we can't take donations to shipping and receiving.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: You cannot just do that, and we got the fraternities and sororities going crazy. "We want to help. We're going to get (makes noise)." So it was yeah --

S.B.: So what you mean is -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- so I've seen them.

S.B.: -- you have helped to facilitate -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: Shelters.

S.B.: -- the establishment of shelters?

Y.S.: I have walked through shelters in the crazy phase when they are first getting set up, and then I've gone back to check on the status of shelters based on the directions of whoever is telling me what to do in two different disasters now.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So I know what it's like in the shelters.

S.B.: And it sounds like you also have like what they call social networks or resources --

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: -- and people looking out for you --

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Whereas, you know that shelters space is really reserved for folks who don't have those resources.

Y.S.: Right. Right and I would want to help them all, so I would be in the shelter --

S.B.: You would go help them. [cross talk]

Y.S.: -- someone's crying I would go help them.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: "It -- no one to watch their babies. Someone help watch their babies," and "You need medical aid. I'm a former EMT. I'm going to diagnose you, and call for a nurse." It's like I can't do this right now. I could not --

S.B.: You would just be in work mode.

Y.S.: -- yeah. Yeah. I'm so -- no. So I had private places to stay and then -- um --

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: -- I was really fortunate that -- um -- the people in Capay not only said that I could stay at their house, but they chose to make their house -- it was their private house -- into a rental. And they contracted with my insurance company and I live there now. And I will live there for 2 years, and my temporary housing is a very lovely little custom built tiny home and its 2 00:44:00stories, its 900 hundred square feet, and it's lovely. And I'm just blessed and super super grateful to be there but it's --

S.B.: That's incredible.

Y.S.: -- yeah, but it's not how it went and I often think I should be happier about it than I am but it's -- um -- it's like the consolation prize you didn't ask for. You know I didn't ask for a prize at all. Not alone to be given the consolation prize. I just wanted to just carry on as normal. So did everybody else.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So, I'm fortunate but -- um -- it doesn't fix everything by any means.

S.B.: It is shelter. Yeah.

Y.S.: It is shelter -- it's more than adequate shelter.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I'm not in a trailer.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I'm not in a rental apartment with noisy people all around me. I know the circum -- I know the circumstances of many many of my friends all too well, and I am really well off.

S.B.: Um -- you didn't explicitly say this but how did you learn about the fire's impact on your homes? You said that you had a feeling. When did you get confirmation?

Y.S.: when the news said the whole town burned. I mean like just watching T.V. you could tell. No one ever called me and said, "Your house is gone", no one ever did.

S.B.: Really?

Y.S.: No. it was just -- I just knew it was gone and it was weeks before anyone can go up there, and sure enough it was gone.

S.B.: Did you go?

Y.S.: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. First opportunity I had. I had to go. I didn't want to -- to some degree -- but I knew I had to.

S.B.: Yeah. Um -- I ask though -- um -- earlier and we may have skipped over this -- um -- about what you ate? Do you recall?

Y.S.: Oh the first couple days, well I had -- I drank my dinner the first day.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Next day I ate some breakfast went to the Upper Crust, and I got one of 00:46:00their egg breakfasts and ate half of it. Ate lunch at the EOC, and then took home a few leftovers. I didn't eat much for weeks. Um -- I'd ordered food and eat some of it and then eat the rest later. I didn't prepare meals for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks. I wasn't in my own home.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I ate soup. I bought soup. I bought cereal. I bought Cream of Wheat. So I'd eat cereal, Cream of Wheat, soup, and -- um -- egg sandwiches. So that was the extent of my cooking, and that's really fine for me. And some salads, "Oh I need vegetables" [laughs]. So I tried to have a balanced diet. I took -- took my supplements until I ran out. Of course my chiropractor where I get my food supplements they burned down too. So it was a while before I got -- you know -- squared away on that, but you know I've had to get a new doctor. I don't have any dentist yet. I -- new chiropractor. Just -- you know -- all those things.

S.B.: Yeah. Okay -- um -- I'm going to ask you a series of questions about events that happened --

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: -- during the sheltering period because they have November and December.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Um -- the air quality in Butte County Chico was measured by the EPA as the worst air quality in the world during the month of November in 2018. What was your experience of the air during this time, and how did it affect your living conditions?

Y.S.: Well it was horrific and I wore an N95 the whole time I was outside, and when -- um -- at the house -- at Holly's. And by the time I get to Durham it wasn't that bad, which would have been towards the end of November, because December 1st I was in my rental. Um -- I wore an N95 outside and in Holly's house -- um -- her husband changed the furnace filters, and we just kept the doors -- and we just closed.

S.B.: You stayed inside?

Y.S.: Um-no. I was -- you know -- I was either at work or when I wasn't working, 00:48:00I was running around doing stuff because as soon as I make contact with my insurance company they wanted me to send them all kinds of stuff.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So because I didn't have a computer, I didn't have a printer, all I had was my phone. Um -- I was just taking receipts to the UPS store and photocopying them and faxing them. Old school.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: But I had to do all that stuff and I had to get -- you know -- copies of my policy and this and that. So -- and I needed everything.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: And there was a lot of initial -- um -- free giveaways for, you know, personal hygiene items, and a couple the first big -- um -- things that opened for clothing. I went and got another pair of jeans, and a sweater, and a blanket. Um -- then I went to Costco and I bought pillows, and I bought more blankets, and I bought -- you know -- um -- a towel, and a washcloth, and a hand towel. And I had to buy -- I had a toothbrush, it's one thing I had -- toothbrush at work and a toothbrush in my purse. So -- but I had to buy makeup. 00:49:00I had to buy -- not right away --

S.B.: Personal --

Y.S.: -- Holly said, "Don't worry about that," but I had to get all my personal care items back. I had nothing. It's like one day I realized I don't have any -- it was weeks. I realized I really needed to cut my toenails, and I didn't have clippers and I was like, "Really?" You know? And then "Oh okay. Oh my chap stick is empty. Oh I don't have those at home." You know, it was just one thing --"I don't have that. I don't have that." [laugh] I still do that.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: "Where's my -- oh -- I mean -- I don't have one of those." I went to bake because like -- I guess I -- you know -- you try to stock your basic kitchen. There's no way you can buy everything. I thought I had everything for banana bread, but I didn't have baking powder, but I had baking soda. I'm looking for recipes without baking powder. Couldn't find any until after I bought the baking powder.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: I went to look for recipes and I found a bunch without them. Like, where were you when I didn't bake -- the day I didn't have baking powder but then I didn't have vanilla. So I was like, "Really? Okay, I'm done baking, -- [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: -- for now." I'm just like -- I wanted to make muffins, and you don't have a muffin pan? "Okay --

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: I don't have a muffin pan. You can't make muffin -- oh I'll make banana bread -- oh you don't have a loaf pan." I did make my banana bread eventually in a round cake pan.

S.B.: you just got to do sometimes.

Y.S.: Whatever.

S.B.: Yeah [laugh].

Y.S. Yeah.

S.B.: Um -- there was a norovirus outbreak in shelters during the first week of the Camp Fire. Were you at all affected?

Y.S.: Mm-mm, no. Um -- boy are -- a lot of people were though.

S.B.: Yeah. Um -- in the second week of November, President Trump visited the burned areas in Paradise along with the Mayor of Paradise, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Governor of California --

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: -- um -- what was your experience or what did you think about that visit?

Y.S.: I was overwhelmingly disgusted, because the president couldn't even remember the name of our town. And he's such a blowhard that -- um -- he 00:51:00wouldn't even listen to the people that were gently nudging him. That not once but twice. If not three times before he said, "Oh yeah, yeah. Paradise." Um -- and his comments about "raking" -- um -- whether or not he was referring to forestry raking -- um -- to compare it to Switzerland was absolutely insulting, and -- um -- so I was not impressed. Not impressed at all, and just basically upset that he was so unaware.

S.B.: Okay. Um -- before the Camp Fire and September 2018, Butte County had declared a shelter crisis. What do you think about the County's response to the challenge of sheltering Camp Fire survivors?

Y.S.: Well knowing what happens in the background -- um -- and how a shelter establishes its resources required to do that, and the number of people were evacuated and the logistics involved in sheltering that many people, I think the 00:52:00County did a good job. And I know the county worked really really, really hard and I've been in their emergency operations center and I know the County's emergency services officers and her staff and those people worked 24/7 for weeks, and nobody tells them thank you. The public has no clue about what happens behind the scenes, and how much effort that takes physically and emotionally to manage an emergency while you have people there impacted, and everyone in that County office knows at least 5 people that lost their homes. Friends and family. So they are not immune to that. They're just like me, trying to work while trying to worry about -- trying not to worry about other people while serving the greater good, which is the public at large.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So in a shelter crisis, in terms of homelessness and shelter crisis -- in terms of what you do during a disaster are two different things. They really should be differentiated. You can't apply one to another.

S.B.: Say -- can you say more about that?

Y.S.: Well yeah. Yeah. Sheltering for homeless people, transients, A.K.A. people that choose to come here, and choose to be homeless because it's friendlier here and more conducive to living outdoors -- um -- has created crisis and has created crime and is a big eco-sociological problem, but it shouldn't be wade or even looked in the same capacity as sheltering evacuees. It's two different things. One's a long term ongoing and cumulative the other is instant and emergency, and affects the entire population from infant to elderly. Whereas transients have a smaller window. They do go into the elderly very much so but not much for below teenagers. There's no transient -- little children -- except for the children of homeless families. And that is less prevalent here than the individual transient A.K.A. the people that hike over -- hitchhike over from 00:54:00Humboldt County after hanging out there in Santa Cruz, and want to come hang out in Chico in Bidwell Park for a while.

S.B.: Can you -- I think a lot of folks do get those two things conflated especially now --

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: -- because there's such a small vacancy rate in the area -- um -- can you explain a little bit more about how those are different in your mind?

Y.S.: Well, the homeless and the evacuees had the same problem with exception -- in terms of not having shelter -- the exception of a lot of the evacuees had resources, and filled up all of the hotels and motels. So those are the people that initially had resources and some of them don't now, but some do. My insurance and many homeowners with insurance the majority or homeowner with insurance have the -- a displacement policy that the insurance company will pay for your hotel. Well that's all fine and dandy. So there was never enough hotels 00:55:00and motels in our area to accommodate the entire community of Paradise. So those that had resources filled up the local hotels then we went Oroville, Red Bluff, Redding -- as my family ended up -- um -- Corning, Colusa -- all the way -- Yuba City, Marysville, all of these places. So that shows the general amount of -- let's call it recreational lodging -- you know tourism and visitors okay?

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: So no community ever plans their tourisms and builds hotels and motels to the capacity that their neighboring communities can be zeroed out.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Transients, in general, would never stay in a hotel or motel because they don't have the money.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: Right? So they're already homeless. Why they're homeless is a whole other dynamic because there's many reasons, so we can't even get into that.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: But there's a big difference. An evacuee versus someone that is a transient homeless person -- transient means that they move from place to place, 00:56:00that's what -- you know -- that's how that's defined. So to say we have a shelter problem -- and this was indicated by all the people in -- from Paradise who couldn't find a place to stay, is not really applicable.

S.B.: No it's not.

Y.S.: It's not really an appropriate comparison --

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: -- at all. Yes there's a shelter crisis, but homelessness is different. And I don't think that Paradise people that were displaced -- we're more like refugees than homeless. We're refugees. We left because we had to. Not because we wanted to. Not that all transients did this by choice.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: Some them, it's a series of choices that have resulted in homelessness. But again that's very -- you know -- you can't go down every avenue of why are -- why is a person homeless and a transient.

S.B.: Okay. Thank you for clarifying.

Y.S.: You're welcome.

S.B.: Um -- in January the Red Cross announced it was closing a shelter that had been set up at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico. What do you think about 00:57:00the emergency relief organization's decision to close?

Y.S.: I think it was time. I think they were down to a very few people. I think that they were really dealing now with transients --

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: -- I knew they were -- um -- and the small amount of people left, they needed to do what they did, which was push FEMA to get those people into temporary housing. A shelter is not a long term solution. It's not healthy for anybody -- to sleep in a cot in a gymnasium with no privacy and no space to call your own but 8 square feet on the floor. So the Red Cross should have and did phase down their operations, and they didn't throw anybody out on the streets. Yes a lot of the people that parked their campers and RVs there were now in a dilemma as to where do we find those -- where do we find a trailer spot, but somehow they all did and I think a lot of them weren't even actively looking because they immediately were complacent with where they were. Everyone thought they could just stay at the fairground indefinitely.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: And I'm not saying complacent in a bad way. I'm just saying that, "I'm 00:58:00here. I'm good. I'm just going to stay here," because it's so hard to make all those decisions, and even though things fell into my lap per say, I didn't have to work a lot to find housing. I still had plan B and C, and plan B was a little crappy trailer over by Clearlake that I could bring over here that the bedroom was a pop out. That I would've been -- it would've been rough conditions, but it was an option for me and it was free.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: And where would I put that? Well maybe in the driveway of some friends, but that was one of my plans.

S.B.: You had back up plans?

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: Okay. Um -- since the time of the Camp Fire, many evacuees have been displaced to other parts of Northern California, North Eastern, United States -- um -- and the rest of California. Um -- how have you been able to reconnect with friends who are living elsewhere?

Y.S.: Well, Facebook.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: And texting. We had each other's -- text -- people have been slowly reaching out. I just got a text last night from a former colleague in the town of Paradise, who reached out to about 8 or 10 of us women proposing we all get together and half of us can't make it, but we're going to keep trying. So when I have already -- um -- met with some gal pals -- um -- twice. And next week, a dear friend of mine is coming from Washington State who -- um -- was my best friend in high school, and she grew up -- um -- pretty much the same time in Paradise that I did from the 70s on. So she's going to come stay with me for 4 or 5 days and -- um --

S.B.: Aww.

Y.S.: -- she's going to come see. So it's going to be a happy sad visit. Um -- so yeah I'm staying connected with people but there are -- and my neighbors we all text and we're going to have a -- um -- we're going to call it "A New Block Party," at -- um -- my neighbor's house that -- um -- I don't even know where she lives here in Chico, but she lives here in Chico somewhere. And the property 01:00:00she's on, she says they're always ready for a gathering, and she can't wait. So my "neighborhood" is going to gather at her house and have a "new block party", and we're going to talk about who's going to rebuild and how we're going to rebuild and we plan to repopulate our neighborhood. Three out of four of us. So that's good.

S.B.: That is good. Um -- you had -- before we move on to talk about recovery, you had mentioned a couple of times that you recently lost your husband. Is there anything you want to share about that? You don't have to.

Y.S.: No just that I was, I thought losing my child was the worst thing in the world, and losing my spouse is just as bad. Because we were very very close when we lost our daughter and then people like, "Oh, you're going to get a divorce." No we didn't get a divorce. We -- um -- we became even closer -- um -- and we were -- you know -- five years away from retirement. We were the love of each other's life. Neither one of us has been married before. Um -- we've been 01:01:00together for 37 years, and out of the clear blue he's diagnosed with a brain tumor and -- um -- he died in just 4 and a half years and -- um -- it was fast and furious and horrific. He had 4 surgeries, he had radiation, and -- um -- seizures and a stroke and -- um -- it was the saddest thing I've ever had to through in my life. And I'm still grieving his loss, and I think I will forever and -- um -- I miss him horribly, but I'm glad he's not here to see this because if he was alive still, the mental capacity that he had was like a child. He was childlike, but also dementia-like. He could've never understood, and he would have been home and I would've been at work, and I would have gone home. I would 01:02:00have. I would have run up that hill to make sure he was safe. I would've died with him. I would've never been able to leave him home, so I would of -- so when I saw that column, I would've turned around and gone home immediately and got him. Um -- but I'm glad because of his diminished mental capacity, he could've never understood what happened, and for me to have to have him with me afterwards and everything that happened and being without a place to stay, and it would of been just him and I in my car. And me trying to explain to him what's happening, and he would've never been able to understand it. It would have been horrible -- horrible for him. So that's the only reason I'm glad he wasn't here. All the way, that he didn't live to see this and is -- to lose all of his precious things that -- he built so many things at our home and our yard for him. I don't know what it would've done to him. I'm glad that he didn't see it.

S.B.: Thank you for sharing.

Y.S.: You're welcome.

S.B.: Um -- [exhales] can you share with me the -- your experiences of recovery? Um -- there's some folks who owned and rented their homes -- or owned and rented their homes and they have documentation and insurance, documentation to rely upon. Can you share your experience -- um -- working with the insurance company?

Y.S.: Well --

S.B.: Or companies?

Y.S.: -- yeah company. I am incredibly fortunate in that aspect. Um -- when my husband was first diagnosed with his brain cancer after his surgery, he was still a 100 percent sound mind and body. Um -- granted a little wounded, but he was -- you know -- okay. And he -- we talked about the worst case scenario and he said, "Well," one day he says, "I'm going to go talk to the insurance guy. I already talked to Jeff" -- that's our investment guy -- and he says, "I just want to make sure everything is fine." And I said, "Oh honey, of course we're fine. Don't need to worry about it." He goes, "No, no, no. I want to check our 01:04:00insurance policy. If anything happens to me, you need to not worry about the house. You need to be okay, if anything happens in the house." "What do you mean? Nothing is going to happen to the house."

S.B.: Aww.

Y.S.: He said, "I just need to do this." I said, "Okay, honey." So he upgraded our home owners to the deluxe homers policy, and he raised the limits up on everything that he could -- um -- and I have more than enough money to rebuild. So, the insurance company did not make me inventory, they paid me in full. Everything but our outbuildings because we [laugh] didn't do shit, and he had his insurance for $78,000 worth of outbuildings and the insurance agent said, "Oh Miss Yvette, I don't really see that's going to cost that much to replace your shed. Is there a building that's missing?" and I said, "No, I thought that was a lot of money."

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: Um -- but it's what the policy says so -- you know -- who am I to say. I'm like, "Why are did our agent let us insure two buildings for 75,000 dollars? Really?" I said, "You know my premium is probably based on it." He goes 01:05:00"[inaudible]." [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: But anyways he said, "Well okay, well we're going to make this one little bigger." It was like -- he was like, "Make it a 10 by 15 and we're going to put an attic in it, and it's going to be stick built with a floor with shelving, and a roof and -- it was shingle roof?" I said, "Yes, it was a shingled roof," which it was. So stick built a brand new tent by 15 -- it would be like building a tiny house right?

S.B.: [chuckles]

Y.S.: And the other was a 10 by -- um -- 15 metal shed and he goes, "Alright, well we'll put this in for the top of the line metal shed. We'll build it as wood," And then I -- this other little house, it was -- I say little because it was like half of the table size. It has four posts, and a roof with shingles. And underneath were 2 counters and a double sink with a faucet. So when you're picking flowers and stuff --

S.B.: Oh.

Y.S.: -- you can wash your hands --

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: -- and I had shelves underneath, and some potting things there -- um -- garden tools and that was it. That was the 3 buildings and he goes, "Well that's not 75,000 dollars."

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: So it still ended up being like 40,000 dollars, because you're going to stick build those custom sheds. I was like, "Okay, fine," but my personal 01:06:00possessions they paid me in full with no depreciation.

S.B.: Wow.

Y.S.: My house -- whatever the house was listed for the policy they paid me in full for that plus there's the -- um -- I have a 50 percent build so my house is insured for one and a half times its value to completely replace it.

S.B.: Wow.

Y.S.: And then -- um -- my policy also had a FEMA disaster provision that if there was a mandatory evacuation of -- up to -- of 14 days and it was a federally declared disaster, I got $100 a day for 14 days, plus $30 a day for food, plus gas for whatever my trip to work and back. Was basically -- it was $2400 within 2 weeks they put into my bank account.

S.B.: That's good fortune.

Y.S.: Yeah. So thank you to my husband for making sure I had good home owners, and my house was paid for in full. So they bought my house back from me --

S.B.: wow.

Y.S.: -- and I've given all the money to my financial guy who put it in CDs so it will do nothing but make money, and not lose money until I'm ready to build.

S.B.: That's awesome.

Y.S.: Despite my urge to go on a 3 week cruise, I have not done that [laughs]. Though a lot of people are spending money like crazy. They're buying things. They're going on expensive trips. And you may call that for your mental health now, but your mental health will be impacted when you go to build and you don't have enough money. If you don't -- if you want stress, well there's stress.

S.B.: Yeah. Well I --

Y.S.: "What do you mean I have money -- I don't have money to buy furniture for my house now? What do you mean?" And for me at my age going into retirement -- um -- that's not the time in my life to go into credit card debt.

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: All -- my whole plan was coming to fruition. My house was paid, my car was almost paid -- my car's paid now. I did pay my car off with my insurance money and my credit card. So I have no car payment, no credit card debt, no house payment. So that's part of ready to retire.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: Can't have a bunch of bills when you don't have income right? You have income, you have to live within your needs.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: So, I'm starting back to [laugh] down that path.

S.B.: Yeah. Um -- some folks did not have documentation to rely upon. Either insurance or even -- um -- an agreement of rental that signifies that they were legally living in their residence.

Y.S.: Yeah.

S.B.: Um -- can you share about that recovery experience?

Y.S.: I didn't have any issues like that.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: I know friends that are and it's horrible. In fact, I'm happy to be able to have help some friends of mine and my mom. Um -- the last money that Red Cross gave I went and spent on my mom. Um -- my mom is 81. She's in Red Bluff now. She was in Redding, but she's not good at doing paperwork. I -- did -- have no idea what went wrong. Why she didn't get the $900 from the Red Cross that 01:09:00their last allocation. So I did, and I went and spent it on her, so.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: Um -- right now I'm encouraging her to -- um -- in fact I think she did connect with them but the Red Cross is giving out money again. A large sum this time, $2500. And I was amazed they contacted me, and I filled out a survey that said do you need money for housing I said, "No." "Do you need funds to replace appliances that you cannot afford to replace?" I said, "No." I'm -- my rental is also furnished --

S.B.: You're covered.

Y.S.: -- by the way. It's furnished.

S.B.: Wow.

Y.S.: Um -- but I bought some things. I went to buy a coffee maker and tea kettle and hair dryer and stuff. But anyhow -- um -- "Do you need money for medical bills?" "No." "Do you need transportation -- do you have transportation cost that are not met?" So I basically said, "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No," through the whole survey and they said, "Did you lose your home in the wildfire?" I said, "Yes." "Did you have insurance?" 01:10:00"Yes." "Have you received insurance money?" "Yes." "Verify your information." Um -- I'm stunned they gave me $2500 dollars anyways. So I'm like, "Mom, get your $2500. It's like I love you mom, but I don't want to have to give you my $2500 because even though I feel financially secure I don't. I don't. I'm like so frugal now that it's almost stupid. It's like I look at things and I can't buy anything because I don't know what's going to happen. I'm so worried that I'm not going to have enough money to build and furnish my house. That I am afraid to buy anything else. It's just like the basics so then I'm like, "Okay, well." You know, until I'm absolute like in the crunch where I can't -- I'm right -- I have nowhere to file anymore so I need to buy a filing box and I need more manila folders and I don't have a stapler. Who does not have a stapler? I have 01:11:00one pen, it's running out of ink. So I need to buy pens, I need a stapler.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I have a pencil, but I don't have a pencil sharpener.

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: I mean who -- you know -- it's like you -- in the normal world, you go, "Well, everybody has a pencil sharpener."

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: Well, we don't. People that lost everything do not just have a pencil sharpener. We don't have office supplies anymore. It's been almost 4 months, and I've just now come to the realization that I could use a stapler. I have some paper clips, but I really could use a stapler and that's what a luxury purchase is. It's kind of like, "I need a stapler." I don't have a printer. I bought a laptop, but I don't have a printer.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: Where I live doesn't have internet so I can't really do too much anyways, but I can create documents and print them I suppose. I can print out emails. [laughs] I can open my emails and it will download.

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: But yeah so -- you know -- those things are going to continue.

S.B.: Right.

Y.S.: And my girlfriend is coming, and I'm not -- like in my house when I had a spare room and my friends were coming, I had a basket and I'd put a towel for 01:12:00them, and a bath towel, and some bath stuff just for them -- which I can still go get some baskets -- but I don't have -- I'm not going to go buy a basket for this, and I'm like -- "I just can't be the hostess with the mostess, and my friend loves me and she's going to not care, but I kind of care." I -- it makes me feel bad, so -- but it'll be alright. I'll just tell her, "We'll be eating out a lot," [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: Because I don't have a lot of stuff to cook with and it's pretty arduous and -- you know what -- I want to spend more time with her and going and doing things other than cooking and cleaning.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: We'll get food to go and eat it at home.

S.B.: There you go. Um -- did you receive any rental assistance through FEMA?

Y.S.: No and I didn't need it.

S.B.: You were covered? [cross talk]

Y.S.: Yeah I didn't need it -- yeah, I'm not -- I don't qualify for FEMA.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: I -- they -- the FEMA tortured me, and the SBA people tortured me. They kept contacting me encouraging me to apply, and encouraging me to apply in case when you go to bill that you don't have enough money, and you spend your 01:13:00insurance. What if you need some more money then? You can sign up now, and have this loan in your back pocket. Hours and hours, and then they tell me I wasn't eligible and I said, "What the hell?

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: "Why did I do all this?," and I said, "You -- " basically I did a complaint letter, various complaint letter is that, "On the front end, they need to train their staff better in the acceptance process so they don't put people like me through the application process that are clearly ineligible." And I said at the beginning of each of the interviews, including the 2 hours I spent at the assistance center for the third time, to do all the paperwork and then the subsequent following interviews to reiterate all the paperwork, and then the site visit. Jesus. I want to tell you right now, "I have a full time job. I make pretty good money and I have great insurance. I was paid in full for my house and my contents, and I have over $400,000 to build, and I have a retirement 01:14:00account. I don't see how I can be eligible." "Oh no you need to apply. You never know." And they told me "You're ineligible because you have insurance, and because you have savings, and because you have a good job." And I went, "Of course, I'm ineligible. What the hell? This is what I've been telling your people all along."

S.B.: I don't want to upset you -- um -- but you said they did a site visit?

Y.S.: yeah, the FEMA person had to go to the house -- the property --

S.B.: And you had to go with them?

Y.S.: -- to verify -- well no, at the end I said, "I'm not going." [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh] Okay. Good for you.

Y.S.: Enough is enough. I said, "I have a picture of the house. You --," he says on the phone and when the phone interviews he goes, "Was your house green with white trim?" I said, "Yes, there's a white wicker furniture on the porch." He says, "Yes." I said, "Are you looking at a google image of my house?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Okay, well look at the google image now. You go to the Paradise Recovers, you go to the Butte County, go to the Website, put in my address and look at the burnt remains. Everybody else's, my house is gone." I said, "If you want to go look, knock yourself out."

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: I'm not taking a day off work to go up there to prove to you my house burned down when you -- you know my house burned down. "Well there are a few houses that are standing." I said, "Well, mine is not one of them, and I actually have a picture of it. So there you go." Not going up there again for this.

S.B.: Right. I didn't realize they made you do a site visit. That's really -- I mean that that's part of the obligation, and so this is news to me and I'm just -- I'm glad --

Y.S.: It is with the insurance companies too.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: My insurance agent tried to schedule at several times and because of the rain and everything else and then the trees were all falling, he couldn't go up there while he was still here. And at some point he said -- um -- we were talking and I said, "Do you know -- um -- Bret -- Brent -- Brent -- yeah Brent from AllState, you know Brent? You have my permission to go to my property. You can go to my property. If you want to go walk the footprint of my house and measure the foundation to verify the square footage you may. You may go look at 01:16:00my sheds." In fact we did meet up there eventually because we needed to do the outbuilding assessments. That's when we walked the property together, but I was already up there that day and I was going to be there for 3 days. Um -- so this was Thanksgiving -- Christmas break. It's Christmas break because I was actually off work -- um -- and I went up there 3 days in a row with my brother to try to salvage any personal belongings that I could. And on one of those days -- um -- the insurance adjuster came up and did that component of it, so. And I didn't have any issue with the insurance person doing it at all because they've just been so great to me. And they still call me once a month just to check on me, and they will until all coverage is stopped, so for 3 years. Once a month, they call on me and make sure everything is okay.

S.B.: so you still have your policy?

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: That's incredible.

Y.S.: Well it's -- it's not -- it's not homeowners now, it's property insurance and it's much less.

S.B.: I see.

Y.S.: So they're insuring my dirt.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: They're not worried about it burning right now. Whether or not it will remain insured when I build is yet to be seen.

S.B.: Do you hope to -- um -- I want to ask about your plans to rebuild. Um -- do you hope to rebuild in that --

Y.S.: I do.

S.B.: footprint?

Y.S.: I do.

S.B.: Yeah and your neighbors do as well you said?

Y.S.: Yeah. I do. At this point I do, but I am not closing the door to a complete 180 degree "This isn't going to happen, I'm outta here." And I have 2 years --

S.B.: You have time.

Y.S.: -- for that to happen and I -- you know -- I'm just not going to rush out and pay an engineer, or -- you know -- an architect to draw building plans, and then not build because that's a waste of money too.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: When I'm sure I'm going to build and I don't care if it's going to take longer than -- whatever. When I'm sure that I'm going to make that investment because that's not cheap to get plans drawn up for a house. I think it's probably about $20,000 dollars. I think, it's from what I heard. So I'm not going to do that if I'm not sure I'm going to build. It'd be, "Oh you can do that. You can just build somewhere else. It's like -- [bell going off in background].

S.B.: Oh my word. That -- it's -- that means that it's 4:30 [laugh], and then the library is closing.

Y.S.: Okay, that's cool.

S.B.: Okay, we have a few --

Y.S.: Well we're allowed to stay because we're not students right?

S.B.: We're okay, yes. I just --

Y.S.: It won't make me leave I can tell you that.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: [laugh]

S.B.: I wanted to -- um -- ask you more questions about rebuilding --

Y.S.: sure.

S.B.: -- um -- but I have a question about PG&E. Um -- PG&E declared bankruptcy in January of 2019, and since there have been -- um -- a number of lawsuits filed to pursue damages related to the wildfire -- wildfires.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Um -- so what do you think about that?

Y.S.: I feel bad for PG&E. Um -- I'm not in a position because I don't have the absolute facts to condemn them. I know that corporately is very different than the boots on the ground. I have a lot of respect for PG&E workers. I always have. I know many of them. I think that the fire is only partially PG&E's fault. 01:19:00Maybe they really didn't provide the required maintenance for that transmission power pole. Maybe they did in fact neglect to do service on it that was recommended within the last 10 years, but PG&E is not responsible for the growth topography and other fire conditions present all over Northern California, and Santa Rosa, and everywhere that if a power line falls, it falls into brush that it's somehow their fault. It's our fault for wanting power in places where there's this type of terrain, and this type of topography because we demand to have our amenities, and so PG&E accommodates. And PG&E is now clearing that 12 foot from all the power lines and people are screaming like mash cats because "You're cutting down our trees," and on Facebook yesterday, it was a post about a person that planted a row of trees in there front yard here in Chico. PG&E came and said, "Those are too close. You need to move them back 10 feet." And 01:20:00they said, "How dare they tell us what to do on our property?" These are the same people that, if those trees burned down and burned down their houses they would say, "Somebody should've told us that those trees would burn down our house." So, there's 2 edges on that sort.

S.B.: right. Can you say -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: And I'm not suing PG&E.

S.B.: Okay. Can you say more about -- well I feel like you have said -- you said it -- um -- about having remote access, remote locations with access to electricity.

Y.S.: Yeah, power lines.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I mean, what do -- the American people and the people in Northern California don't want to drive up highway 70 or highway 32 and see a 50 foot wide bolts swath all the way up with power lines in the middle of it. I'm pretty sure 99% of people go, "Oh my god. That's ugly. They rape the land blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." So I'm not a tree hugger, nor am I a clear cut proponent. I am right down the middle there. We need managed forests, but we don't have the 01:21:00resources. And we have the beetles, and we had the drought, and nature wins. Nature will win. We live in the forest. We take the risks that lives in the forest. You don't blame somebody for forest fires because I'm -- well I'm not a blame person. Some people need to blame someone for everything because it just has to be someone to blame because there has to be a reason. Well if there's multiple reasons that all combined and you can't blame any one person then so be it. I'm totally open to that. But some people are not. Because "Somebody's got to be held accountable," because they have a victim philosophy. I do not. [phone rings]. So, I have an FMS manager that lives near me in Capay. She just heard 01:22:00I bought a spa. Um --

S.B.: Oh.

Y.S.: -- it's my self-care. I bought a little tiny hot tub, and -- um -- because I don't have a bathtub in my house.

S.B.: Oh that's super fun.

Y.S.: And I have a disease, and I have stress --

S.B.: Oh

Y.S.: -- and I need my soak. So I invested in a little hot tub.

S.B.: That's awesome.

Y.S.: And -- um -- you heard me it was tipped on its side, and it weighs 250 pounds, and I don't want it to tip it this way and have it fall and break my legs, so.

S.B.: Oh my god [laugh].

Y.S.: So I'm recruiting some manly help.

S.B.: That's good.

Y.S.: Much to my dismay.

S.B.: [laugh] Sorry.

Y.S.: [laugh]

S.B.: That's really a great -- that's like champagne problems. [laugh]

Y.S.: It is.

S.B.: (laughs) it's a great problem to have.

Y.S.: It is. And again my friend is coming Thursday, and speaking of champagne we're going to be in that tub drinking champagne --

S.B.: That's --

Y.S.: -- next weekend.

S.B.: That's what I envision for you and I hope it comes true.

Y.S.: Absolutely.

S.B.: Um --

Y.S.: I just wish I didn't live so far from town because Uber would be really expensive all the way up to Capay, so I have to curb my recreating drinking.

S.B.: Okay [laugh].

Y.S.: Damn it [laugh].

S.B.: [laugh] um --

Y.S.: I don't drink a lot normally, but lately it's like 2 or 3 drinks and I'm just so happy.

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: [laugh] "Life is wonderful!"

S.B.: Aww, and you love people right? You're just like -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: You got a bunch of happy people. Yay!

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: [laugh]

S.B.: Oh that's good. Well you stay hydrated too, which is the most important right?

Y.S.: Oh yeah, when I drink alcohol -- [cross talk]

S.B.: You have your hydration, yeah

Y.S.: -- I don't do hangovers, [I'll] put it that way.

S.B.: There you go.

Y.S.: And I don't get drunk, because that's not okay either. Especially right now, I can't even imagine if I had way too much to drink. It could be bad.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: [laughs]

S.B.: I understand -- [cross talk]

Y.S.: It could be bad!

S.B.: -- it's some people -- it is a -- it is a coping mechanism right? But like you're right, it's -- it's a -- you have a very -- I think -- healthy mindset about balance.

Y.S.: I do. If you break down all my walls though, it might just not be what the world is ready for [laugh].

S.B.: [laugh] Okay. Um -- I wanted to ask you, you said you have a 2 year plan 01:24:00to stay at the rental that you're at.

Y.S.: Mm-hmm.

S.B.: Um -- what are your long term plans after that, and why did you choose 2 years if you don't -- haven't formulated the long term plan yet?

Y.S.: Well I chose 2 years because that's how long the insurance will pay my rent for me.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: Actually it's 3 years now.

S.B.: Oh.

Y.S.: But I'm not going to wait till the very last minute because I'm a planner. So 2 years is the cutoff to build or go.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: And either I build, or I go. If I say go, it means go to Oregon. I'll buy a property in Oregon and move away.

S.B.: Um -- why Oregon?

Y.S.: Because I've always loved Oregon and my husband and I always planned on potentially retiring in Oregon. And I'll be closer to the ocean, and it's very green up there, and the area I'll move to does not have big wildland fires. And I'll still be close enough to California to stay in touch with my family 01:25:00members, so a lot of reasons. And I love the ocean.

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I mean who doesn't but -- but I want to be right on the ocean, and I probably could not afford to live right on the ocean.

S.B.: Um -- I have to ask you what are you worried about?Y.S.: I'm worried about not being able to rebuild because I'm not really sure I'm that ready to move to Oregon. Even though all these years I've talked about it, but that was all contingent on my husband and I. And I'm worried that -- well, I wouldn't say worried -- I don't -- I don't really like to say worried -- um -- I think about -- to me, worry -- if you worry you actually have some kind of anxiety. If you're thinking, you're just thinking right?

S.B.: Mm-hmm.

Y.S.: Making the list, pros and cons, balance constantly the scale. Um -- if I move to Oregon will I be even lonelier than I am now? Because I won't know anybody in the community, and I won't have a job. So I won't have a social 01:26:00outlet. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? How am I going to meet people? Normal worries, I think. Concerns -- again, not worries. Normal things to think about it if -- I think you should think about these things -- your social well-being. And then I'm like, "Well, depending on where I choose to live what will be in that town that's social. Will there be enough -- I'm a Christian so will I find a church? And on the same hand will I find -- I know it sounds a bit critical -- but will I find a bar? Not that I like bars, but let's call it a pub -- a gathering place where people eat and drink. Not just like a little bar that you just go and -- you know -- drink until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, that's not what I meant by bar. What will my social opportunities be?"

S.B.: Yeah.

Y.S.: I don't think I'm going to be meet somebody at the library let's just put it that way. Right? [laugh]

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: Or the grocery store, regardless of what all the dating people say. So 01:27:00where will I be out and about in public that will give me the opportunity to make friends and possibly meet a partner, a new partner. So -- because I do not want to be just alone my whole life. I do not. I miss my husband horribly, and half of me thinks "How could you ever, ever be in a relationship with anyone else? But the other part of me says, "You don't want to be alone, that's why." And I -- yeah. I want a man in my life. I really do. I've come to realize that. It took me a year and a half to realize that. Because initially I said, "That said I'll be alone forever and I'm fine with that." Then I was not so fine with that, and then I just all of a sudden just started looking and thinking in a different manner. I just remember one day I just remember looking at this man thinking, "God he's a good looking guy. Wonder if he's married?" Then I went -- Oh! You know? My first thought was --

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: -- "How could you do that?" And then I went, "You are single. You've been -- you're husband's been gone a year. Why -- it's okay Yvette." My husband knows he use to always tell me, "Oh you'll get married right away. Someone will snatch you up. I'm the one that's going to be alone forever. Nobody will ever want me, and I don't ever want to be with anyone else." We used to have silly conversations but -- you know -- "No, Jimmy I'll wait. You know I can't imagine being with anyone else," and I really still kind of can't, but I definitely know that I would really enjoy having a companion and partner, a man in my life. So I may or may not have one.

S.B.: Yeah. Okay. Um -- what brings you hope about the recovery at first that are happening in Paradise?

Y.S.: The other people. The strength of the younger people in Paradise -- um -- Glenn and Jodi that just bought Joy Lyn's Candy from their parents. That's just tradition in that town for ever and ever and ever. I knew the original owner of 01:29:00Joy Lyn's Candy in the 70s. Um -- to think that these young people with their children are going to come back, and start all over and their children are going to be the next generation of Paradise residence. That gives me hope. That and other people my age that are still -- that are not leaving that are rebuilding, and so they give me hope and they inspire me. And -- um -- going up there on a regular basis and seeing yet another business open, and seeing more clean-up happening is a double edged sword because I just -- just hurts my soul to see all those pile of trees. Just really hurts my soul, but I understand you can't leave half dead trees standing. I understand that more than a lot of people do I think -- um -- but yeah that other people give me hope.

S.B.: Okay.

Y.S.: Alright.

S.B.: Well I appreciate you taking the time and sharing. I feel like I know you a little better.

Y.S.: [laugh] You probably do.

S.B.: Yeah, and I think this campus is really lucky to have people like you here.

Y.S.: Oh god, thank you. I'm just another worker bee. You know, we're all workers bees on our own little section of the hive, and nobody's more important than the other. Except for maybe Gayle, because she's on top of the hive watching over all of us.

S.B.: A queen [laugh].

Y.S.: Yeah queen bee. She's a queen bee. That's what the -- at the symposium, I was honored to be invited to that and -- um -- they gave out the bee pins. Little bee pins because we're all in our own way -- a queen bee is what -- um -- I was told -- that I just -- um -- was just really honored and outstanded to be in a group with such powerful woman, you know? And I know I'm powerful to some degree, but I always put myself in the ranking file of a soldier -- you know -- 01:31:00one of the police chiefs in Paradise once came up to me and patted on the back, and he's a big man -

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: -- he said, "You know Yvette," he goes, "You're just -- I just got to love you -- you little warrior ant." Anyways what's that mean?

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: "Um -- an ant?," and he goes, "Well you know the role of the warrior ant." He went into great lengths to explain to me the dynamics of an ant hive or colony -- ant colony, and the significance of the warrior ant. How [laugh] their little arms and legs get ripped off, but they keep fighting [laugh] for the greater good.

S.B.: Oh [laugh].

Y.S.: And they're not in charge and they don't do this and they don't do that, but that the colony would die without them, "And you're one of them." And I went, "Well thanks,"

S.B.: [laugh]

Y.S.: -- our colony is not dying." [laugh]

S.B.: Oh goodness gracious!

Y.S.: But I was very flattered at the end [alarm goes off]

End of interview