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One year after the Caldor Fire tore through El Dorado County, insurance issues and a lack of federal assistance continue to stand in the way of residents who lost everything and struggle to rebuild.

Melissa White Gustafson, who lived in the community of Grizzly Flats, recalled the terrifying moments of when the wildfire leveled the place she and her family of eight called home. She said they only had 15 minutes to get out when the evacuation orders were issued.

"We weren't sure what to grab," she said. "We thought we had a chance."

One year after the wildfire sparked, Gustafson and her family remain without a steady roof above their heads. Tents and RVs have become makeshift homes.

"It's sad, the fact that I have to keep my family in this position, Gustafson said. "I don't like it."

The rebuilding process has also been an uphill battle for Sara Aubry.

"People who didn't own their homes and were renters, unless you had renter's insurance, and you could afford that, you're kind of just like, it's a loss," Aubry explained.

El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo said for many in Grizzly Flats, fire insurance is simply too expensive.

"When you're making $1,100 a month — a lot of these people are seniors — and these Fair Plans (California Fair Plan) are anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 per year, and there's no way they can really afford it," Turnboo said.

Turnboo said 75 of the homes destroyed there had no insurance.

"A lot of the insurance companies canceled people that live in the rural area," Turnboo said. "It's really hard to get insurance when you're living out there."

Turnboo also said federal assistance has been hard to come by.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied individual assistance to families. The denial is frustrating for people who feel President Joe Biden promised federal resources after touring the damage.

Watch Below | President Biden talks about fires and climate change after surveying Caldor Fire damage

In September 2021, in response to a comment from California Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci about fire recovery, the President said in part, “…there's a lot that we can do, and it starts off being a federal responsibility, in my view.”

“That says they don’t care about us,” Gustafson said. “It hurts that there was promises made, and nothing ever comes about of it.”

FEMA said it did help, paying over $96 million for debris removal and repairs to infrastructure.

But the agency ultimately turned down individual assistance, saying in a statement to KCRA, “Based on documentation provided by the state and collected in our joint preliminary damage assessments with state and local officials, the Agency determined that the impact to individuals and households from the Caldor Fire was not of such severity and magnitude to warrant the designation of the Individual Assistance program.”

Now county leaders are looking at local options. Turnboo is recommending the purchase of tiny homes for the 75 uninsured residents of Grizzly Flats. He says the board of supervisors is scheduled to discuss that option at its Aug. 23 meeting.

KCRA reached out to the California Department of Insurance for advice on what people should do if they’re struggling to afford insurance. The department says, when risk goes up –so does the price of insurance.

Officials have released these guidelines they say will reduce risk and make insurance more available:

The department also maintains a list of insurers currently offering discounts.

| MORE | California FAIR Plan wildfire insurance: What is it, and how can I get it?

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