Thousands of Camp Fire victims are still struggling now three weeks after the fire started.

Hundreds are still in evacuation shelters while federal agencies try to help.

KRON4 spent time with victims who are trying to put their lives back together in Chico.

Through the doors of the disaster relief center at the Chico Mall, reality sets in.

“I’ve been coming here quite a bit,” Paradise resident Patty Holmes said. “I was here one day for more than 6 hours.”

Holmes says this is her third disaster, having lived through a Category 5 hurricane and a tornado in Texas–and now the Camp Fire.

Being a survivor brings her to tears.

“So, I’m trying to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward,” Holmes said.

To move forward, FEMA officials say about 1,500 victims visit the relief center a day.

“When they come here, they are faced with what they need to do to rebuild their lives,” FEMA spokesman Frank Mansell said. “There’s an awful lot of disruption, lost birth certificates, licenses, registrations, any number of items you need to reclaim your life.”

Up the hill in Paradise, a town still in repair, the elementary school crumbled, draped with power lines, but the high school is still standing.

Butte County school officials say students will return to classes Monday–not in Paradise, but in buildings throughout the county, including Chico.

“Most of the kids, I think, find it really inviting,” Paradise resident Lindsey Beltz said. “I think it gives them a sense of purpose, something they can reach out to instead of just being idle and watching everything go around. It gives them something to do.”

Jason and Lindsey Beltz say with two teenagers, they are now grappling with the challenge of finding a permanent place to live.

“It’s been so difficult because you just don’t know what to do next,” Beltz said.

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