In Lakeport, California, residents of three different manufactured home communities were evacuated due to intense rain and flooding. After years of back-to-back fires, many residents feel pretty lucky that there was only minor damage.
And the residents of the Lucky Four Resort even got new neighbors after being away.
According to the Record-Bee, what ended up being just minor flooding turned the laundry facility into a new home… for otters.
“I’m not sure who was scared more, my husband or the otter,” said Lucky Four Resort owner Marilyn Williamson.
Williamson said as a whole, the community handled the high waters well, aside from the new otter residence.
In addition to Lucky Four, the city of Lakeport also evacuated the Aqua Village Mobile Home Park, as a preemptive safety measure, with residents able to return a little over a week ago.
Most of the homes were set to rest above their skirting, which allowed water to flow freely underneath them. Dealing with a manmade lake, residents are prepared for potential flooding.
“We’ve been here before,” said Williamson. “We made it through without having to shut anything down. It’s nothing like the (flood) in ‘89.”
“Everything is pretty much back to normal,” said Aqua Village owner Ron Paulson.
But in nearby Clear Lake, some communities fared better than others, based on positioning and flood protection. In the case of Willow Point Resort, the community is evacuated even though it is dried out.
While the homes avoided water damage, overworked systems around the community affected the sewer system. The community had to shut down all electricity, water and phone service, and they will likely stay down until the sewer system can recuperate.
Other communities and RV parks have also been temporarily shut down, some disconnecting phone service entirely.
As was the case for Northport Trailer Resort. Owner Tom Turner took measures to prevent flooding, but a quarter of his property still ended up underwater.
“A lot of it is just putting dirt where it used to be,” said Turner.
“Cleaning up is the most tedious part — getting all the lake mud off the property. It has that ‘lake sludge’ smell.”
Turner also said that what ended up being a minor disaster has a number of Lake County residents sad, given recent, destructive back-to-back fires in recent years. Even so, he believes there is reason to be optimistic.
“We have to keep our spirits up,” said Turner.
“Northern California’s drought recently lifted. Let’s all have a Spring and Summer we can finally enjoy.”
For more on the California floods, including the impact on the Balls Ferry community, click here. ##
(Image credits are as shown above.)
Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews
