Dozens of Eaton fire survivors, case managers, elected officials, and clergy stood together at the Eaton Fire Collaboratory on Sept. 10, urging federal officials to release funding for California’s Disaster Case Management Program.
The $10 million funds, allocated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency — an agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security — have yet to be dolled out, organizers said.
The Disaster Case Management Program provides case managers who help with things like finding temporary housing while rebuilding, obtaining FEMA money, walking through insurance disputes, rebuilding permits, and more.
If the funding for the program isn’t released by Sept. 30, nearly 1,400 fire victims will lose their case managers, according to Antonio Manning, chair of the long term recovery group for Eaton Fire Collaborative.
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If the funding isn’t released, it will lead to a halt on half-finished and unfinished rebuilding efforts, officials said.
Of the 1,397 open cases within the program, Manning said 1,027 are from the Eaton fire and 339 from the Palisades fire, with roughly 700 more fire victims on the waitlist.
The state of California requested $26 million, of which FEMA allocated $13 million, Manning said. Only $3 million has been disbursed to date, over 600 days since the fire, Manning said, with a $6 million supplemental request pending.
FEMA did not reply after requests for comment, as of Sept. 10.
“Because the money has not come, the state can no longer afford to keep advancing,” Manning said. “This is why California issued a termination notice: 109 positions, 55 disaster case managers and support staff are now at risk.”
Many officials expressed worry that Eaton fire funding shortages or cuts will have a larger impact on future disasters everywhere.
President Donald Trump’s decision to break from precedent and deny disaster aid to four Democratic-led states earlier this year sparked outrage locally. Many organization leaders and officials emphasized how disaster relief is not and should not be a partisan issue.
“Republicans are the largest group of registered voters in nine cities across this county,” Manning said. “Fire doesn’t check party registration and neither should the response to it.”
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, said she reached out to the head of FEMA, Cameron Hamilton, in a letter signed by herself; Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks; and U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, to urge the continuation of the Disaster Case Management Program up to its authorized date, Jan. 2027.
Chu announced that on a call with Western region administrator of FEMA, Bob Fenton, “He said that he would get the $10 million out,” that it was a “matter of processing.”
Still, many worried about what the processing issue was and how long it would take.
“When Americans lose their homes in a disaster, helping them rebuild should be one of the easiest things for us to agree upon,” Chu said. “Disaster recovery should never be a partisan issue.”
Chu worked with Democrats and Republicans to advance legislation that ensured Eaton fire survivors won’t be taxed on settlement payments needed to rebuild. This will become law no later than Sept. 23, “whether or not President Trump signs it,” Chu said.
Other groups at a press conference Thursday included Community Organized Relief Effort and Clergy Community Coalition, among others. Malibu Long Term Recovery Group and Palisades Long Term Recovery Group were also supporting this effort.
Some data from Department of Angels, an independent nonprofit dedicated to having fire victims be part of its community recovery, found that:
-Two in three survivors remain displaced;-Nearly a quarter of survivors have run out of temporary housing assistance;-A quarter are about to lose rental assistance while rebuilding their mortgaged property;-Half of survivors have already drained their savings and gone further into debt; and-The average homeowner is short nearly $500,000 to rebuild their home after insurance payouts.
Sofia Armendariz-Vidal, who lost her house and pets to the Eaton fire, said her husband is having to work in 100-degree weather in hopes of making their FEMA and insurance money stretch. This is being done in hopes of not delaying their rebuild.
“We need our disaster case managers to continue to lead us in the right direction,” Armendariz-Vidal said. “We have never had to build a home from the ground up. This is new to us, we need help.”
She said the families’ case manager was “vital” in assisting her husband to replace some of the many construction tools and machinery he lost in the fire, allowing him to return to the workforce.
“We want to rebuild, and we want to make sure we have the tools and resources to help us return back home,” Armendariz-Vidal said. “We cannot do this alone.”