Forty-one new manufactured homes have been installed in Mecca, California in the Mountain View Estates community to replace aging factory-built homes that were damaged/destroyed in a 5.5 inch downpour Sept. 11, 2012, according to what mydesert tells MHProNews. The rains ripped apart some of the Duroville MHC homes in Mecca, CA, resulting in the issue being taken up by Federal Judge David T. Bristow, who said, “It seems that it may take Mother Nature to do what the hollow efforts of the parties involved have not been able to do, which is close Duroville.” The community has been in receivership since the U.S. Attorney’s Office tried to shutter it in 2007, but a federal judge ordered it to remain open until the residents find a safe place to stay. Many of the 1,200 to 1,500 residents still living in Duroville’s 190 homes are seasonal workers who come for the harvest. Since the state has not ruled it an disaster area, it’s not eligible for FEMA assistance, but Riverside County has been working on Mountain View Estates since 2008. Thirty-four of the new homes were bought with state redevelopment monies before Gov. Jerry Brown did away with redevelopment districts. The other seven were purchased by a developer. Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit said the new homes will be ready for occupancy mid-to-late November.
