By SUDHIN THANAWALA | Associated Press
PARADISE, Calif. — Some who fled a Northern California town leveled by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century waved American flags to welcome President Donald Trump, who walked among the scorched ruins Saturday, but others said they were focused on packing up what little they had left and getting to their next temporary home.
Californias outgoing and incoming governors joined Trump as he surveyed the devastation in the town of Paradise, population 27,000, and visited a firefighting command center. Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom had welcomed Trumps visit, declaring its time “to pull together for the people of California.”
President Donald Trump looks up as he talks with from left, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, FEMA Administrator Brock Long, Jody Jones, Mayor of Paradise, and California Gov. Jerry Brown during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Children stand on the side of the road holding an American flag as the motorcade of President Donald Trump drives through Chico, Calif., on a visit to areas affected by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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People stand on the side of the road holding an American flag as the motorcade of President Donald Trump drives through Chico, Calif., on a visit to areas affected by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks to Mayor Jody Jones as he visits a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump gets a briefing with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks at a map as he visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. At left is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and FEMA Administrator Brock Long. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FEMA Administrator Brock Long points to a map as President Donald Trump visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarty of Calif., is at left. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump listens to California Gov. Jerry Brown speak as gets a briefing with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks at a map as he visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. At left is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and FEMA Administrator Brock Long. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, left, and as California Gov. Jerry Brown listens during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks at a map as he visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks at a map as he visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. At left California Gov. Jerry Brown. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks at a map as he visits with first responders and local officials at an operations center responding to the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Chico, Calif. At left is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., California Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump visits a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with FEMA Administrator Brock Long, Jody Jones, Mayor of Paradise, and California Gov. Jerry Brown, second from right during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks to FEMA Administrator Brock Long as he tours Paradise, Calif., California Gov. Jerry Brown and Paradise Mayor Jody Jones during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with Jody Jones, Mayor of Paradise, right, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, left, and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, third from right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with Jody Jones, Mayor of Paradise, as California Gov. Jerry Brown, third from right Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, left, and FEMA Administrator Brock Long during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks with from left, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Mayor of Paradise Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long during a visit to a neighborhood destroyed by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump walks with Mayor Jody Jones as he visits a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump talks to Mayor Jody Jones as he visits a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump surveys burned homes as he tours Paradise, Calif., with Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, right, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump greets California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom as he arrives on Air Force One at Beale Air Force Base for a visit to areas impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. At left is Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long and at right is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., greeting Gov. Jerry Brown. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Beale Air Force Base for a visit to areas impacted by the wildfires, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. He is followed by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump listens to questions from the media as he leaves the White House, Saturday Nov. 17, 2018, in Washington, en route to see fire damage in California. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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The tour came as firefighters raced to get ahead of strong winds expected overnight and authorities struggled to locate 1,011 people who were unaccounted for. Authorities stressed that not all on the list are believed missing, but the death toll has risen daily, standing at 71.
Those who lost their homes or were looking for loved ones were also busy — some trying to pack up at a makeshift camp next to a Walmart in the city of Chico. No one there appeared to be paying close attention to Trumps visit, with evacuees saying they were told to leave by Sunday.
Maggie Missere-Crowder said if Trump came to the Walmart, she would shake his hand, but she otherwise needed to focus on getting her tent and plastic storage boxes with food and other items into her pickup truck.
Missere-Crowder, 61, and her husband fled their home in Magalia, a community near Paradise that also was devastated, and planned to go to a shelter in Yuba City, about an hours drive from the Walmart.
She said she was angry about Trumps tweet two days after the disaster blaming forest mismanagement for the fire, a sentiment he repeated just before his visit and has stirred resentment among survivors.
“Like weve done it on purpose. Its like a slap in the face,” Missere-Crowder said.
Still, she said that if she met him, she would say, “Think about what youre saying, because it takes away from all the good stuff youre doing.”
The fire zone in Northern California is to some extent Trump country. He beat Hillary Clinton by 4 percentage points in Butte County in 2016. That was on display as people gathered on street corners with Trump flags to greet his motorcade.
June Busalacchi, 57, and her husband, Steve, 56, came to a Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance center at the Chico Mall to see if some friends they havent heard from were there. The Trump voters also hoped the president would show up.
“Hes going to get these guys, and no pun intended, get a fire under them,” he said, referring to state officials in California. “They need to protect people, not just in big cities.”
Asked about Trumps insistence that forest management was to blame for the blaze, Steve Busalacchi said comments like that are how you motivate people to address problems.
Ron Waterbury, who lost his home in Paradise, watched news about Trumps visit on a TV set outside a Red Cross shelter in Chico.
“I think his visiting here is just for show,” he said. “I think he was talked into coming here to make himself look better than what he is.”
The blaze that started Nov. 8 destroyed more than 9,800 homes. Thousands of personnel were battling the blaze that covered about 230 square miles (600 square kilometers) and was halfway contained, officials said.
Firefighters were racing against time with winds up to 40 mph and low humidity expected Saturday night into Sunday. Rain was forecast for midweek, which could help firefighters but also complicate the challenging search for remains.
The number of people unaccounted for has grown to more than 1,000. But Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea acknowledged that the list was “dynamic” and could easily contain duplicate names and unreliable spellings of names.
The roster probably includes some who fled the blaze and do not realize they have been reported missing, he said.
“We are still receiving calls. Were still reviewing emails,” Honea said Friday. “This is a massive undertaking. We have hundreds and hundreds of people working on this.”
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Michelle Mack Couch, 49, lost the home she was renting in Paradise and helped patients escape through a wall of flames as an employee at a skilled nursing facility.
“Lets hope he gets us some help,” the Trump voter said at a FEMA assistance center, where she was trying to get a walker for her 72-year-old mom.
But as far as watching the presidents visit, she said wryly, “We dont have a TV anymore.”
Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Chico and Jocelyn Gecker, Janie Har and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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