Santa Cruz County Grand Jury
• 2024-2025
• Agency Response
Response to:
Victims of the CZU Wildfire – Four Years Later
Victims of the Czu Wildfire – Four Years Later The Flame Still Burns “And the flame still burns
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 6 findings
F1
Page 15
The inability of local fire departments to coordinate (communicate) with CAL FIRE during their initial response to the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to unnecessarily lose their homes and possibly contributed to the loss of a life.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Page 15
The Long-term Recovery Group which assisted CZU fire and other disaster victims with case management and food and housing support serves as a model for the future.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Page 15
Because many CZU fire victims were unaware of LTRG disaster services, fire victims, to their detriment, did not make use of the services and/or available financial assistance.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Page 15
The failure of County agencies to have an effective disaster response plan in place prior to the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to incur unnecessary expense in the rebuilding process.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
Page 15
The failure of CDI and Environmental Health to provide timely guidance with respect to applying for and obtaining required permits after the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to expend unnecessary time and expense in the rebuild permitting process.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
Page 15
The failure of the County Environmental Health department to fully inform CZU fire victims about new state septic system regulations (LAMP) resulted in many fire victims abandoning their plans to rebuild after realizing how high the cost of meeting the new standards would be.
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 1
-
CL1 Page 15The litany of obstacles to rebuilding is long and complex. From Grand Jury interviews with fire victims and those agencies primarily responsible to aid and assist in restoration and rebuilding, we found much to note. Many victims struggled with the permitting process, insufficient insurance coverage, or a lack of knowledge or understanding of the applicable agency and regulatory requirements. Others simply were so dispirited by the experience that no amount of money could see them through to completion. It is good to remember that we too often get lost in numbers. Numbers don’t completely hide the human cost from view, but sometimes make it more difficult to see and feel. As Grand Jurors, we saw it and felt it all the more deeply as we re-lived every experience, every delay, and every difficulty with every victim we interviewed. That being said, this report is respectfully submitted as a story of both success and failure in which two seemingly contradictory concepts exist side by side. This report is offered to reconcile those concepts and to inform and guide our community. With those thoughts in mind, the 2023-2024 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury respectfully submits the following Findings, Recommendations, and Commendations.
Commendations 1
-
CM1 Page 16C1. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Recovery Permit Center and 4Leaf for its outstanding service to our community and particularly its work in assisting and supporting victims of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in their recovery and rebuilding efforts. C2. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Long Term Recovery Group for its outstanding service to our community and particularly its past and continuing work in assisting and supporting victims of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in their recovery and rebuilding efforts. C3. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends Catholic Charities and Community Bridges for their outstanding service to our community and their continuing work in support of CZU Lightning Fire victims and their families. C4. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County for providing financial support to the Long Term Recovery Group and for the preparation and publication of the Atkins Debris Flow Analysis Report. C5. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends Stephen Homan, a retired registered environmental health specialist, who helped 50 CZU fire survivors obtain their environmental Pre-Clearance. A fire victim himself, he donated his time to this effort.