More than 120 people fleeing the California Camp Fire have been taken to hospitals with vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms similar to norovirus, according to The Washington Post.
"People keep using the word 'unprecedented,' and I keep looking for a different word, but I can't find one because it works so well," Casey Hatcher, Butte County spokesperson, told The Washington Post. "We have an entire community that is displaced."
Ms. Hatcher also indicated both state and local authorities continue to address the grand-scale displacement. Tens of thousands of Californians face months without permanent housing in one of the most expensive regions in the U.S.
Initial norovirus cases appeared Nov. 18 and were contained to the Chico, Calif.-based Neighborhood Church. The report does not indicate if other emergency facilities confirmed norovirus cases or if the virus is linked to one common source.
Emergency officials confirmed 79 deaths attributed to the Camp Fire. About 700 people are missing, though people may have found relatives since the list was reported, and the list may also contain duplicates. About 12,000 homes have been destroyed, and about 1,314 families are eligible for some form of FEMA funding.
The California Camp Fire is 60 percent contained.
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