Driving around parts of southern El Dorado County, California, you can’t miss the trucks. Everywhere near the areas ravaged by the 2021 Caldor fire that leveled the community of Grizzly Flats, you see semis hauling trees and Ford F-150s with their company logos.
Residents could understandably wonder: Who is paying for all this work? And who is profiting from it?
It’s mostly the federal government and insurance companies writing the checks, meaning taxpayers and insurance customers are footing the bill. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided access to more than $78 million in grants for emergency and permanent work, which includes debris and hazardous tree removal, emergency protective measures and restoring public infrastructure in the fire-ravaged areas.
