The California wildfires known as Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire started early November and was extinguished in late November. The fires destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres and killed 104 people, most likely due to climate changes affecting the environment and weather patterns.

Sweeping the nation this year, the California wildfires have caused damage to over 18,000 structures, leaving many families homeless. These fires are named to be the “deadliest in California history” by the New York times.

So what does this mean in terms of the cleanup process?

The damage from these fires have racked up a record breaking 3.5 billion dollars in damage, two times more than the Northern California wildfires in 2017.

According to Elizabeth Pillow, a student at Hall High School, “It’s going to be very expensive for the government to handle all the damage due to fires because the insurance companies aren’t covering house damage.”

The cleanup costs will be split among state, federal, and local authorities according to California Office of Emergency Services Director, Mark Ghilarducci. But this large expense could affect the rates of insurance companies, facing an estimated 10 billion dollars in claims. This could lead insurance companies in California to decline policies and possibly raise premiums in high risk areas such as Paradise, the town that was most heavily affected by the fires.

With the shelters racking up people and their families, and no insurance payment coming out, many people face long term placement. According to Monica Evans, who lost her home in Paradise, California, “There are thousands of us with nowhere to go,” she says. “The shelters are all full, and the nearest hotels are hours away, and we can’t afford them anyway.”

In order to help, money, clothes, and other essentials could be donated to the California Fire Foundation, United Way of Northern California, and California Community Foundation.