Displacement Reveals the Depths of Inequality

The campfire disaster forced around 50,000 individuals to evacuate, leading to a significant diaspora across all 50 states. Although many sought to be near family or distance themselves from trauma, a substantial number, roughly 15,000, ended up in Chico, a town already facing housing challenges. The influx caused the population to surge over 15% in a single day, straining local accommodations as hotels filled up quickly. This situation left survivors like Susan and John Michael in desperate search of temporary shelter, reflecting the harsh reality of their displacement. The metaphor of a staircase illustrates the varying impacts of the fire based on individuals' pre-existing conditions: those already facing housing instability faced greater difficulties in recovery, metaphorically bottoming out, while others landed somewhere in the middle. This highlights the complex interplay of trauma and socioeconomic status in disaster recovery.