ELK, Wash. — It's been more than three months since two devastating wildfires burned more than 20,000 acres of land, hundreds of buildings, claimed two lives and left behind the communities of Medical Lake and Elk to pick up the pieces.
Since then, the process to rebuild has been a long one. Homeowners have faced hurdles with insurance, property tax and rebuilding codes. Now, they've taken another step forward, as Elk residents learned about state and federal resources that may soon be available during a town hall meeting Tuesday night.
A lot of people at that meeting are now living in RVs. They are cold and frustrated with how long this help is taking.
Gerry Bozarth with Spokane County Emergency Management tells KREM 2 the state has provided $60k from its disaster fund to winterize RVs now occupied by fire victims. Bozarth said volunteers have worked diligently to assist those people.
Residents were once again reminded by county officials that even with all the resources available, it won't be enough to make every single person whole.
One single mother lost everything in the Oregon Road Fire and says her insurance lapsed two weeks before the fire. Three months later, she's still looking for help.
Meanwhile, another woman said she's living in an RV with four dogs and a duck, struggling to stay warm. In addition, another couple had been saving up to buy a home. Those building supplies turned to piles of ash, and now they can hardly afford their car and tractor payment.
"We've been trying to live a normal life and we just keep getting a gut punch every time we try to walk ourselves up," Resident Mike Santo said.
"We don't have the resources to make every single one of you whole," Chandra Fox with Spokane County Emergency Management said.
Fox told attendees at Tuesday night's meeting that aid and recovery takes time.
"No matter what we're doing, it will never be quick enough to help you," Fox said.
She says the county is expecting a decision from FEMA regarding federal aid by the end of the year. State Rep. Leonard Christian hosted Tuesday night's town hall alongside county assessor Tom Konis.
"We have reduced values, total, for both fires, on 781 parcels so far this year and that's $166 million dollars worth of assessed value we've taken off," Konis said.
Konis said many people have already received a check for the difference.
"That goes clear back to when the fire happened on August 18th, through the end of this year," Konis said. "That will also carry over to next year for them, regardless if they plan to rebuild."
Many who attended the meeting do plan to rebuild. But, for those who were either under insured or had no insurance to begin with, the path forward is foggy.
"We're a young couple that has been trying to make something of our lives in a world that doesn't really seem to care for people any more," Santo said.
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